Totsuki, Eh?
by ThatOneGuyFromThen
Summary: Totsuki Tea Ceremony and Culinary Academy. A school meant for the most elite and sophisticated young chefs the world has to offer. An academy where only the most talented and skilled will survive. A.K.A. The last place on earth a jackass like Thomas LeCavalier should've been allowed to sign up for.
1. Here Goes Nothing

**Hey there, old and new readers alike. Just want to let you know that this chapter has been updated since it was first posted in order to fix grammar mistakes and other previously overlooked problems. Thank you, and please enjoy.**

 **Anyway, enjoy the story, and don't forget to fav, follow, and review if you liked it.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Food Wars. All I own are my OC and his story.**

"What do you mean you don't want the tip!?"

"Sir, I'm sorry, but you have already paid me. There is no need for you to give me anything else. Your gratitude is more then enough."

"Buddy, I don't see what the problem is. You did a good job, you answered my questions about the area, and you were polite. So, let me thank you for doing that!"

"But you already thanked me earlier with your words, sir. Please, just go now. I have other customers calling me for pick up."

"Fine! Don't accept free money! See if I care!" Slamming the passenger door of the taxi shut, the loud, angry teenager stomped away, tossing the cab one last dirty look as he did. "If all you people are this bad with money, I can see why you were so broke after the second war!"

Though it was rather early in the morning, the rather racist sounding insult drew the attention of the few people walking on the sidewalk nearby. Though embarrassed by his own escalation of the situation, the teen quickly put up a tough front and began making his way down the street.

Eventually coming to a stop near a bench on the sidewalk, the young teen tossed his duffle bag on the ground before taking a seat. Now face up, the words, "Thomas LeCavalier", could be seen on the bags name tag.

Leaning back in his seat and letting out a puff of air, Thomas took a look up at the night sky above him, just taking a moment to rest after all he had gone through in the last twenty four hours.

Tokyo, Japan. Capital of the most technologically advanced country on the planet, playground for Godzilla, and the young foreigner's new home for the next few years. If all went according to plan that is.

It was an idea that, only a month ago, would've sounded ridiculous in Thomas' head. And yet, here he was, in central Tokyo, at two o'clock in the morning do to the sudden time change, contemplating why he hadn't just stayed home instead.

'Come to think of it,' thought the suddenly alert teen, 'why didn't I just stay home? I'm sure there was SOMEWHERE back home I could've just gone to for culinary school. Probably would've saved a bit of money on traveling and other expenses too.'

Thinking back to when he'd first decided to take up culinary arts, Thomas remembered coming across multiple different schools willing to accept new students interested in cooking. Above all others though, Totsuki had been the one to capture his attention the most. It's just a shame he and his dad signed him up to take the academy's exam before reading just where exactly the school was located.

Sighing at his own negligence, Thomas decided to just get over it and try and make the best of his situation. Standing up, the young man pulled out his phone and attempted to search for any cheap hotels in his area. Totsuki's website had said that dorms would be provided for foreign students and those wishing to stay on the school grounds, but only if they were fully enrolled. Meaning, that until he passed his exam in the morning, Thomas was essentially homeless.

Opening up his browser, the young teen typed up what he needed. For all of two seconds that spinning dial that signified his phone was using the internet spun before it suddenly stopped, and was replaced by small grey lettering.

 _'No Service.'_

"...I didn't upgrade to the out of country package before I left, did I?" A lack of service would be only one of the many problems Thomas LeCavalier would face over the course of the harsh next 24 hours.

-0-0-0-

"So... good, bad? How was it?" Nakiri Erina was at a loss for words. The meal she'd been served was delicious. It had completely satisfied her palate. Even her signature weapon, The God Tongue, could do nothing but give in to the exquisite taste. In any other situation, Erina would have passed the student who had made such a prefect dish without question. But today... today was different.

Standing across from her was Yukihira Sōma, an unsophisticated, unrefined, indecent simpleton who had clearly never even heard of the words, "Fine Dining". Clad in the attire of his family's diner and sporting a confident grin, the young red head made her want to fail him on the spot. And yet... she couldn't help but remember the incredible dish she had just been served only moments ago whenever she attempted to even try and bad mouth him.

It was this dilemma that left the young prodigy at such cross roads.

On one hand, it was clear that he knew what he was doing when it came to making food. To dismiss him from Totsuki and let such talents go to waste was unthinkable. On the other, it would feel like a spear to her pride if she admitted that some lowly cook from a second rate diner had managed to please her palate.

"I...I..." Everytime she started, her own legendary tongue seemed to twist itself into a knot, refusing to let her speak what she truly thought. "I..."

"Lady Erina..." Behind her, the worried facade of Hisako Arato, Erika's best friend and assistant stood by, worried for her masters sake. Not once in the many years that she had known the young Nakiri had she ever seen her so lost for words.

"Well?" Questioned Sōma, his confidence only growing more upon noticing Erika's expression.

No longer able to take the pressure, Erina finally steeled her resolve and came to terms with what she had to do. "I...It was...It was deli-

"I'm here! I'm here, I'm here, I'm sorry I'm late, I'm here!" Interrupted by the sudden string of apologies and a loud slam, the three occupants of the small kitchen turned towards the entrance.

Drenched in sweat, gasping for air, keeping a duffel bag on his shoulder with one hand and holding what appeared to be a half eaten biscuit in the other, a tall, dark skinned boy that looked to be their age stood looking like a fish out of water.

"I-Is this-this the exam hall?" Questioned the teen, looking as if though he'd fall over from exhaustion and die if anyone dared to answer with a, "No".

Gaining her composure before the others, Hisako answered. "Y-yes. All those wishing to transfer into Totsuki Academy are to report here today."

"Ohhh, thank Christ!" Dropping unceremoniously onto his ass, the teen slumped against the wall, a look of relief crossing his face. "Sorry if I'm late, but I just finished making it through the worst morning of my life. Ok, so, first I wake up late cause the stupid lady at the, pardon my language ladies, shitty hotel I stayed at last night didn't give me a wake up call like I'd asked her too. So, after spending a half hour stretching to get the knots out of my back from sleeping in those stupid mini hotel rooms, I have to wait another ten minutes before I can flag down a taxi and, low and behold, it's that same asshole from the night before. So, as we're fighting the entire way there about whether I can tip him this time or, outta nowhere, his god damn car breaks down! Oh, but that's not the best part! After he calls for the JAA or whatever the hell you guys call it, he tries to give ME money because he failed to get me to my destination. That led to a whole other argument before I realized I was gonna be late and just decided to sprint the rest of the way."

By this point, Erina and Hisako were in disbelief at the young man's story. Sōma on the other hand looked genuinely intrigued. "And then?" He questioned, eager to know what happened next. Now rested and ready to continue his story, the teen got off the floor and made his way over to the group.

"Then, about ten minutes later, I spot a McDonalds down the road and was all like, "Well, what am I supposed to do? NOT stop for a McGriddle?" And then, after five minutes of waiting in line, I get back back outside, breakfast in hand, and you'll never guess who's driving down the road towards me in a god damn tow truck!"

"Who?" Questioned Sōma, now entirely invested in the fellow teens story. Erina, on the other hand, looked as if though she was fed up with the far fetched tail, her earlier look of arrogance and disdain making its way back into her face.

Turning towards Sōma, Thomas threw his hands above his head as if to simulate his mind being blown. "It was the god damn taxi driver! Apparently, he told the guy who was fixing his cab that he'd failed a client, so the guy let him borrow his freaking truck so the cabi could, and I quote, "Redeem his honor", or something like that. Anyway, we make it to Totsuki and, once again pardon my language, but this school is f###ed! Who the hell builds in academy on top of a goddamn mountain!? So, after another ten minutes of the driver breaking the speed limit to get me up the hill and to my exam on time, we reach the top, and I get on my knees and start praying to this guy because he is a god sent miracle. And so, once again, I try to tip him for going above and beyond the call of duty and that son of a bitch STILL wouldn't except it! So for fifteen minutes, I'm trying to shove just a few bills in the guys hands and he won't take them! At this point I'm angry, on edge and just want to get to my exam, so I start getting violent with the guy. Next thing I know, security shows up and starts questioning us. Luckily, I managed to sneak away from them when the driver started throwing a fit and picking a fight with them. After that, I found a map of this place, made it to this room and uh... here I am."

Throwing his arms out to his sides to simulate his having arrived, Thomas finished recounting his story.

Shaking in anger, Erina looked as if though she was about to explode. Standing speechless beside her, Hisako stood in disbelief, unable to believe the story that they'd just been told could have actually happened. Soma on the other hand was taking it much differently.

"Wow, and I thought MY last couple days was rough. Nice job making it here man!" Patting Thomas on the back, the young chef offered his support.

Scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, the foreigner offered his own thanks. "Well, it was nothing. You don't become the best AAA centre fielder in the province without knowing how to improvise on the fly."

"Wait, your really that good at Baseball!?"

"Well I may be exaggerating a LITTLE bit, but my team did make to the semifinals last yea-

"Enough!" Fed up with the endless banter between the two boys, Erina finally snapped.

"You," she snapped, pointing a finger towards Thomas. "Not only were you late for the exams, but you have also interrupted the testing of another student, and wasted my valuable time with your OBVIOUSLY fake story! And you," turning towards Sōma, Erina continued in her rant, now having gained back her confidence and feeling as if though she was on a roll. "Your dish was below sub par! It was disgusting! If either of you think you could make it into Totsuki with manners and cooking like that, then I suggest you go back to preschool in order to learn some common sense."

Turning around and flipping her hair, the young prodigy walked away whilst snapping her fingers, signalling for Hisako to follow her as she did. Slamming the door as a final act of anger, the childhood prodigy left with her assistant in tow.

Stunned and speechless, Thomas and Sōma stood still for a few minutes, The latter not believing someone hadn't liked his cooking, and the former not believing he'd been failed before he could even cook. Eventually however, Thomas seemed to finish processing what had just happened, squinting his eyes and acknowledging the situation as best as he could.

"What a bitch."

-0-0-0-

Ten minutes later, a downtrodden Thomas could be seen finishing up the last of his now cold McGriddle. "What a load of wankers," said Thomas. (1)

Sighing through his last bite of sausage and pancake, the young foreigner contemplated his situation just as he had hours ago on that bench in Tokyo.

He'd failed. Well, to be fair, he'd been forced into a position where he failed. It wasn't like he'd failed because he couldn't cook or anything. Rather, he just hadn't shown up on time and had apparently walked in on an already tense situation. Now, on top of that, Thomas had to swallow his pride and tell his parents the bad news of his failure. His dad would probably understand, but his mom...

Shivering at the mere idea of facing her wrath, the young teen made to stand up and exit the examination hall when he heard the sound of silverware being moved around on a plate. Raising an eyebrow at that, Thomas searched the room for the source of the noise.

'That's weird. I thought that Yukihira guy had already left.' Looking around, Thomas quickly did a double take upon seeing the source of the noise.

Standing nearly seven feet tall, a traditionally dressed, battle scared, muscular old man stood by the ingredient counter, a smile on his face as he looked at a piece of paper and ate the dish that Erina had deemed as, "Disgusting".

Deciding that drawing the attention of the seemingly happy and hungry giant would be a bad idea, Thomas quietly picked up his duffle bag and began tip toeing towards the exit.

"You!" ...For all of two steps before the tall, scarred man turned towards him, an unreadable look settled upon his face. "You came to take the exams today. Did you not?"

Though intimidated, Thomas put up a brave front, raising his chin up and answering with a head nod. In retaliation to the subconscious show of dominance, the old man too turned his chin up. "Well then, please. Cook."

Taken aback by the sudden request, the confused teen raised an eyebrow. "Wait, really?"

"Of course. I witnessed the end of your little spat with Erina earlier and noticed that you didn't get a chance to prove yourself before she failed you. Thus, I will act as the proctor for this exam in her place."

"Oh. Well, uh... thanks. But, are you sure your qualified to test me? No offence, but you don't really look like your employed here." A fair assumption considering that, if Thomas hadn't just recently found out what a kimono was, he'd have called the old man out on wearing a bathrobe in public.

Smirking at the young man's question, the old man only closed his eyes and chuckled. "Believe me young man, I am more then qualified to gauge your aptitude for cooking. My name is Nakiri Saezaemon, Grandfather of Nakiri Erina, headmaster of Totsuki Tea Ceremony and Culinary Academy, and now, your examiner."

"...What!?"

"You will cook a dish that features egg, just as the boy before did. Your entrance into Totsuki will depend entirely on this dish, so pour your heart and soul into it! Nothing less will be accepted at this school. You will have five minutes to prepare yourself and come up with a dish, and thirty minutes to cook. Begin!"

"...Alright." Though still a little unnerved by the sudden escalation of the situation, Thomas quickly steeled his resolve and looked towards the old man before with fire in his eyes. Nodding his head in affirmative, the teen picked up his duffel bag and made his way to he side room to prepare.

-0-0-0-

A few minutes later, Senzaemon could be seen patiently by the ingredient table. Hearing the sound of a door sliding open, the headmaster took in the sight of Thomas' new appearance.

Pushing out any wrinkles from his uniform, the young chef began making his way towards the kitchen. His pants were a mat black pair of slacks with white highlights running up the sides. His shirt, though the Totsuki standard, had the right sleeve rolled up to the elbow while the left remained long and unbuttoned, the sleeve almost covering the teens entire hand.

Finally atop his head rested a blue and black SnapBack facing backwards. Twisting the hat just a bit to make it more comfortable, Thomas made his way towards Senzaemon, coming to a stop directly in front of the headmaster. Looking each other dead in the eyes, the scarred old man said only a single word.

"Begin."

Immediately, Thomas threw himself into the kitchen and began his preparation.

'Ten minutes for the prep stage, twenty minutes to cook.' Managing the amount of time he had in his mind, the young chef quickly became a flurry of movement. 'Preheat the oven, layout foil, brush with oil, put to the side for later.'

Moving over to the ingredients, Thomas began to break eggs over a bowl before beating them together. Soon after he added sugar, milk, butter and salt, mixing them in with the eggs soon after. Standing to the side, Senzaemon got a basic idea of what the teen was making. And with the next ingredient, the headmasters suspicions were confirmed.

Flour. Pouring the bonding agent into the bowl, the teen let it sit for a moment while he reached over to his cooking pan from earlier, slowly inserting it into the now heated oven seconds later.

For the next four minutes Thomas stirred the contents of his bowl before suddenly stopping and carrying the bowl to the oven. Reaching into one of the many drawers in the kitchen, the teen pulled out an oven mitten before reaching into the hot box and pulling out the tray. Putting the tray into the now heated oven, Thomas closed the door before taking a step back and leaning back against the counter, taking a minute to breath as he waited for his dish to finish cooking.

"It's rather unusual to put pancakes in the oven, is it not." Turning towards the voice, the young chef met Senzaemons inquisitive stare.

Still casually leaning back, Thomas held up a single finger pointing upwards. "For this dish, the oven is a necessity. While most hot cakes are only put in the oven to keep them warm, the ones I'm making are cooked entirely in the oven instead of on a pan, giving them a crispy exterior rather then a fluffy one." Nodding, the headmaster once again room a step back and waited alongside the young chef for the dish to finish cooking.

After about twenty minutes, were in the foreigner spun around the pan at the ten minute mark, Thomas heard his mental timer go off before he pushed off the counter and pulled open the oven, grinning as he saw what laid before him. Putting his gloved hand inside, the teen pulled out his creation.

Quickly turning away so that Senzaemon couldn't see the dish before it was finished, the young LeCavalier began wrapping up his masterpiece. A bit of fancy plating, the folding of the edges, a tiny bit of the green stuff every chef puts on there dish to make it seem more professional and, finally, the finishing touches.

Reaching into his duffel bag, Thomas pulled out a bottle of what appeared to be some sort of rich, brown nectar. Taking out the cap, the teen began to delicately pour the substance onto his creation. Afterwards, he once again used his extra long sleeve to wipe away the residue that had collected along the side of the cap after tipping it back up. Once the bottle was wiped clean, Thomas lovingly placed it back in his bag before lifting his plate and and placing it before his examiner.

"Headmaster Senzaemon, I present to you, The Finnish Pancake." Before Senzaemon, Thomas laid out his dish.

Presented on a porcelain dish, the simple pancake looked exquisite. Folded at the edges, the pancake took the form of a roll, the golden brown underside visible to Senzaemon's old eyes. Drizzling over top of it, pure, dark, sweet smelling maple syrup was designed in wave like motion for visual aesthetics. Unconsciously licking his lips, Senzaemon picked up the knife and fork Thomas had laid out before him. Placing his knife on the edge of the folded hotcake, the old man was taken aback.

'The outside is crisp, though not burnt,' thought the headmaster, surprised by the realization. 'While unnatural for pancakes, it will undoubtedly enhance the soft texture of the middle if they were properly cooked through.'

Cutting into the pancake, Senzaemon stuck his fork in his first piece and raised it to his nose, enhailing the dishes sweet scent. Standing across from him, Thomas unconsciously crossed his fingers behind his back, waiting for he moment the scarred old man to the first bite.

And then, just like that, he did. For a split second after Senzaemon placed the first bite in his mouth, all was quiet. And then, an explosion.

-0-0-0-

The colours of orange, yellow, red, and brown danced across the headmasters vision, before suddenly disappearing and leaving him in a deep, bright forest.

Looking around him, Senzaemon took in the sight of the countless red leafed maple trees that surrounded him on each side. Standing in an endless sea of colour, Senzaemon suddenly heard the sound of crinkling leaves. Turning around, the old man saw the source of the noise.

Walking towards him in the outfit of a pilgrim hunter, a young man kept his head low and his gun hunting rifle pointed steadily at the headmasters chest. Shocked, Senzaemon could only stare as the hunter came closer.

Eventually stopping in front of him, the hunter raised his rifle to Senzaemons head and prepared to fire. Accepting his fate, the headmaster waited for the end to come. Then, just before the hunter fired, head raised his head, revealing a cheekily smiling Thomas. Surprised, Senzaemon opened his mouth to speak just as Thomas fired his gun, the contents of the gun being shot down the headmasters throat and into his stomach.

-0-0-0-

Coming back to reality, Senzaemon awoke back in his seat, fork held loosely in his hand, knife still inserted into the pancake infront of him.

Anxiously waiting in front of him, Thomas could was almost shaking in anticipation. "Well?" He questioned, eager to hear the headmasters decision.

Slowly, Senzaemon set down his knife and fork before looking up at the young chef before him and muttering a single word.

"Delicious." Pumping his fist in the air, Thomas let out a whoop of celebration. Senzaemon only shook his head at the young man's childishness. "The dish was excellently served. The pancake was crisp around the edges and yet remained perfectly fluffy in the middle. Considering that you used an to cook it, that is a rather impressive feat. However, with that being said..."

Stopping in his celebration, Thomas looked back at the headmaster. His arms were now crossed and a somber expression was very visible on his face.

"While you did make an amazing dish, I believe that you lost sight of what you were tasked with creating. That being, an egg dish. And while eggs do feature prominently in the Finnish Pancake, I believe that you focused too much on the dish itself rather then singling out the primary ingredient."

Swallowing a lump in his throat, Thomas lowered his head in shame, slowly reaching a hand up to his head to pull off his hat.

"But on the other hand." Looking up, a look of hope suddenly came across the teens face. "I believe that this talent of yours could overshadow your lack of foresight given the proper teaching. Teaching that you could only get from one place."

Shaking, Thomas looked towards his dish and then the headmaster. "So your saying I..." A nod was all Thomas needed to see before he erupted once more into cheers of celebration.

-0-0-0-

"And now, I would like have the only two transfer students who passed the exams say a few words. Gentlemen, if you will." Turning there attention away from Headmaster Senzaemon, the 92nd first year class of Totsuki Academy looked towards the side of the stage, eager to see who had made it into the top notch institution. Off to the side, Erina too looked with mild interest, not overly interested in another two bodies that would kneel beneath her in due time.

"Seriously though, I can't believe you passed bud. I thought that blond chick said your rice bowl tasted like shit!"

"Yeah, I was pretty worried myself. I guess she was only kidding around though, cause just a day or two afterwards, I got my acceptance letter."

Upon hearing the two familiar voices, the young Nakiri turned around, not believing what she had just heard. Unfortunately for her, the second she turned around, her suspicions were confirmed.

Standing behind the speaking podium, the devil that had plagued her thoughts stood casually speaking with the tall vagabond that had wondered into the exam hall spouting nonsense the other day. Or, in less insulting and more understandable terms, Yukihira Sōma and Thomas LeCavalier.

"Ah, cool beans man. Me on the other hand, I had to get someone else to examine me since the first one left early. And I bet you'll never guess who stepped up to do it!"

"Who!?"

"No, you have to guess!"

"Uh..."

"Here's a hint. He looks like the Grand Master Of The Six Samurai Yu-Gi-Oh card and Clint Eastwood from Dirty Harry had a baby."

"Holy shit! I can't guess who that is, but he sounds awsome!"

"Yeah, he sounds cool, but I almost crapped my pants when I first saw him-

"Gentlemen." Seizing up at the stern voice, both teenage boys looked over their shoulders and towards the side of the stage. Standing with his arms crossed and eyes pupiless, Senzaemon slowly waved a finger in place as if to say "Speed things up".

Gulping, Thomas quickly leaned down to Sōma's level and whispered in his ear. "On second thought, I think it's more like Grand Torino Clint Eastwood." Turning his neck a mere five degrees more in Thomas' direction, Senzaemon made sure the taller teen quickly straightened back up. "Uh, you can go first bud. I need to make sure I didn't piss myself before I address the masses."

Grinning nervously, Sōma nodded. "Alright then. Wish me luck." Stepping forward, the young chef began his speech. Exactly 37 seconds later, an uproar erupted out from the crowd as Sōma bowed and made his way off stage.

Waiting for everyone to settle down, Thomas slowly stepped up to the microphone, pondering just how Sōma seemed so clueless to the obvious anger being generated from the crowd. Once the crowd had settled down, the tall teenager grabbed the mic and begun his own speech.

"...I..." Leaning forward, the students in the back cupped their ears and squinted, wondering why the transfer student was speaking so quietly. This however wasn't the case. The reason they couldn't here him was do to his not currently speaking.

'I have no idea what to say.' Standing there in silence, Thomas looked blankly across the crowd, desperately racking his brain for anything to say. Back home there were never any big ceremonies like this one at the beginning of the year where new students had to speak. Sure, sometimes students had to go up and address the masses, but those people were always on the honor roll or were some other form of degenerate. From his point of view anyway. And hell, whenever someone important did go up on stage, he'd usually just slumped forward and slept through it anyway.

Turning to the side for help, Thomas was quickly disappointed when he saw that Senzaemon was making no attempts to come up and help him, and Sōma was busy talking to a very angry looking Erina. It was almost comical how pissed off she looked while the red head seemed as if he was just talking with an old friend.

'Comical.' The word wrung throughout Thomas' head, an idea suddenly coming to mind as it did. 'That's it!'

Putting up a composed front, the now confident teen once again leaned into the mic.

"Alright, so uh... give it up for Yukihira, right? Yeah. A little bit of competitions always good, eh?" Judging from the looks he was being sent from the audience, it was clear the other students didn't think so. "So... I'm not really sure what to be saying while I'm up here. We don't really have these things back home after all. But uh... you know. Since my buddy Sōma over there seems to have put you all in a bad mood, I've decided I'll just tell a quick joke to turn your frowns upside down."

Though some people looked at the awkward teen with genuine interest, most just looked as if though he was some kind of idiot.

"So, I heard that you guys had an emperor back in the 40's, right?" A few nods and inquisitive looks confirmed his question. Smiling, Thomas continued. "Well, I'm not really sure what his name was, but I'm sure his career must've really "Bombed"."

Silence followed immediately after the joke. Off to the side, Senzaemon eye's went white while his mouth dropped open in shock, Erina quickly following suit. Believing the silence was do to confusion at not understanding the joke, Thomas decided to elaborate. This however, would soon prove to be one of the many mistakes the teen would make during his time at Totsuki.

"You know, bombed. Like, nuked."

Once again getting nothing in return, the annoyed Thomas finally just spelled it out.

"It's a Hiroshima and Nagasaki joke. I'm saying the guys career, "Bombed", because both cites got nuked at the end of the war and his career. You get it?"

Eyes wide, mouths open, minds shattered, the large body of young, talented, aristocratic and impulsive JAPANEASE students all saw red as the young man's joke ended.

Smiling as he saw that everyone now got his joke, Thomas finished his speech. "The names Thomas LeCavalier, from Quebec, Canada. Hope we can all get along for the next few years, eh?"

Thus, the first day of Thomas LeCavalier's life at Totsuki Tea Ceremony and Culinary Academy began.

-0-0-0-

 **Well, I hope you guys enjoyed the read. If you did, make sure to stay posted and following along as the story progresses. Any and all support is appreciated. And for those readers who have been following the story since day one, the fifth chapter will be posted in a matter of days.**

 **Thank you, and see you later.**

 **References:**

 **(1): Yu-Gi-Oh abridged - Step Brothers Sin**

 **Dish: Finnish Oven Pancake. Despite its name, the dish was actually created and remains popular to this day in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Most dishes Thomas makes will be Canada favourites.**


	2. Trail Blazen

**Holy Crap. Only one chapter into this new fic and I've already got almost as many reviews and favs as my first story.**

 **For that, I must say thank you. As a new writer, actual feedback on my work is a very large moral booster, as well as motivation to work harder, improve my writing, and update more frequently.**

 **But that's enough of the sentimental crap. Let's get back to why everyone's here. Hope you guys enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Shokugeki No Sōma. All I own are my ideas and the OC.**

 **Rated T for strong language, mild sexual humour, drug use, and mild racism.**

-0-0-0-

"Can I trust that something like this will not happen again?"

"...Yes."

"And can I trust in your claim that you are not a racist, but that you merely had a lapse in judgement whilst speaking on stage?"

"Yes."

"And do you swear that you'll be in the PA office first thing tomorrow morning in order to publically apologize to your fellow classmates over the announcements?"

"Oh, come on! All I did was make one joke!"

"You made reference to one of the most catastrophic events in Japan's history that was responsible for the death of more then 700,000 individuals in the Second World War."

"Oh yeah! Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you guys team up with the Nazis in WW2? You know, the people who tortured and killed more then six million Jews in the concentration camps!"

"...Didn't Canada have internment camps as well?"

"...To be fair, that was mostly British Columbia, and they were technically not a part of Canada at the time."

"I think your confusing it with Newfoundland and Labrador."

"Oh, whatever! Look, are we done? Cause I've still got to get to my dorm and the suns already gone down."

Sighing whilst gripping the bridge of his nose, Senzaemon did his best to sooth his growing headache. For nearly eight hours, he and the irritable Canadian sitting across from him had been sitting in his office, arguing back and forth about the mornings events. Well, that wasn't entirely true. The first two hours they'd been in the room had been spent holding the door closed and keeping out the mob of angry teenagers that had been attempting the bust open the door and stab Thomas with whatever sharp object they'd managed to get there hands on whilst stampeding after the young foreigner.

Considering they were at a culinary school, finding something sharp hadn't been much of a challenge.

Flashing his crimson eyes at Thomas, the old headmaster stood up from his seat and looked down at the young chef. Not wanting to be outdone, Thomas too stood up and stared right back at Senzaemon with his own deep brown eyes. Considering the near foot in height difference between the two, he still seemed to be losing in terms of conversational body language.

Gritting his teeth, Thomas turned around and made for the door. Narrowing his eyes, Senzaemon cleared his throat. "We were not finished speaking here, Mr. LeCavalier."

"Look, I learned my lesson, alright? I won't do it again, and I'll do the stupid announcement tomorrow, so can I just go. If I'm not in bed in the next hour, then there's now way I'm getting' up at the crack of ass just for some bullshit apology." Sighing at the boy's gruff language, Senzaemon gained a serious look in his eyes as Thomas began to turn the doorknob.

"Before you go, I have one last piece of advice." Kissing his teeth, Thomas turned to looked over his shoulder at the headmaster. "Totsuki is unlike any other school in the nation, if not the world."

Shooting a look of sarcasm over his shoulder, Thomas spoke to Senzaemon as if he were a moron. "Yeah, the giant mountain I had to climb kinda gave me that impression."

"It is not the school grounds that I am referring to." Sitting back down behind his desk, the old headmaster closed his eyes. "This school is a place where only the one percent are able to succeed."

"Damn one percent! Taking all our money. Paying none of their taxes."

"Thomas," gritted out the old man through clenched teeth. Feeling the fear that only Clint Eastwood could produce before him, the young chef finally shut up and embraced the serious atmosphere. "What I mean... is that only the very best will go on to reach the summit of what this academy has to offer and achieve their desires. Everyone else will only serve as a stepping stone for them to climb.

What I'm getting at, is that this school may as well be a battleground. Your "classmates," will serve as nothing more then obstacles for you to overcome in order to gain a spot at the top of the culinary world. So, in order for one to climb, they must either have the talent and skills to surpass all those who stand beside them, or they must work hard and overcome those more gifted then themselves."

Looking up at the headmaster, Thomas was now starting to understand what the old man was talking about.

"You passed your test by the skin of your teeth Thomas. In terms of skill, your cooking is very, very borderline. On top of that, do to your actions at this mornings ceremony, instead of presenting yourself as someone who can hold his own and compete on the same level as everyone else here, you have gained the Ire of both teacher and student alike. So not only will you struggle do to your average skill set, but you can now also expect to be outcasted and possibly even sabotaged by just about everyone in this academy."

Averting his eyes from the headmasters gaze, Thomas looked angerily at the ground. Not because he was angry at Senzaemon for almost blatantly insulting him, but more so out of confusion. Noting the young man's look, the wise old man softened his face.

"Thomas." Looking up, the young chef noted the change in Senzaemon's features. "You are one of the only students who were accepted into Totsuki via transfer this year. I passed you despite your average cooking because I felt something in you that most other applicants didn't. And though I don't know what it was, I'll tell you when I find out. Or perhaps, you'll find out for the both of us."

Looking at his chest in confusion, Thomas wondered what the headmaster could have been talking about.

"It is a fine line you now walk, LeCavalier. Just make sure to walk it without hesitation, and then, despite the obstacles that you yourself have created, you will make it through to the other side as a true chef of Totsuki." Once again looking up into Senzaemon's eyes, this time with respect rather then rebellion, Thomas nodded before turning around and making for the door once again.

"...Yeah, alright. I'll ah...I'll be going now sir." Exiting the the headmasters office, Thomas began making his way down the hall, a look of contemplation on his face. 'Something inside me, eh?'

"And remember! Announcements first thing tomorrow morning!"

Broken out of his thoughts by the loud reminder echoing out from Senzaemon's office, Thomas grit his teeth in annoyance, having thought the old man had forgotten about his punishment.

Eventually finding the exit to the main faculty building, Thomas made his way over to a nearby bench in the schools main courtyard. Taking a sitdown on the wooden seat, Thomas once again thought back to what headmaster Senzaemon had told him.

"My cooking is borderline, eh?" Blowing out air through his nose, the young chef thought back to the words he had just been told. While Thomas knew his cooking wasn't anything to cry home about, to actually hear the headmaster say that it was, "Avarage," was more then a bit disheartening. More concerned about his cooking then the other half of what the director said despite its grave importance, Thomas decided push the headmaster's words to the back of his mind and focus on finding his dorm before night completely took over the day.

Idea now in place, Thomas began shifting through his pockets searching for a particular couple of sheets of paper. Only pulling out his phone and wallet, the teen scratched the side of his head. "Where the hell did I put those sheets?"

The sheets in question were the transfer papers that had all the information about his new residence, his schedule, the dress code, and a map of the school grounds so that he'd be able to find his way around. Without them, he was pretty much screwed.

"Oh, now I remember. I put it in my duffle bag. Now, where did I leave that?" Thinking, Thomas did his best to remember just where he had left his travel bag. It was actually a rather important matter that he found it, not only because his sheets were in there, but also because he had all his clothes, passports, and everything else he'd came to Japan with in the black bag as well. Without that, he would DEFINITELY be screwed.

Thinking back, the young chef suddenly snapped his fingers. "That's it! I left it behind the stage at the ceremony this morn- oh shit!" Cursing, Thomas kicked the bench behind him. He'd been forced to leave his duffle bag behind after the angry mob had just about murdered him at the podium, and had totally forgotten about its existence. A real shame considering that the ceremony stage was all the way on the other side of the academy.

Looking up at the sky, Thomas noted how the sun had already set past the trees while the moon had begun to raise up. Kissing his teeth, the young LeCavalier began jogging towards the ceremony stage, eager to reach his bag abd find his way towards his dorm before the moon could fully rise.

And so began yet another eventful chapter in Thomas' life at Totsuki Academy.

-0-0-0-

The Polar Star dorm. A meeting ground for the strangest students that Totsuki Culinary Academy had to offer. Though it had once been a major hotspot for the most advanced and talented chefs in the academy, it has since lost a major amount of its fame and prestige, now being a mere shadow of what it once was. To say that Polar Star was on its last legs would be to speak the truth.

And yet, despite that, Fumio Daimido would not have it any other way. Sitting back in her old rocking chair, sipping on a cup of sake, and listening to the sound of laughter and joy emitting from the floor above her, the old matron could only smile and compare the noise in the ancient mansion to the noise that had once echoed throughout the halls all those years ago.

Smiling at the fond memories, Fumio closed her eyes and allowed herself to get lost in her own mind, being able to almost picture Polar Star in its prime. Lost in her thoughts, the old matron slowly began drifting to sleep.

'Yup... just another night at Polar Sta-

"Open the door! Open the door!" Snapping out of her trance, Fumio looked around her room, having sworn she had just heard something. "For the love the shit, open the door!" Now certain she wasn't hearing things, the old lady quickly stood up from her chair and headed towards the noise.

Ending up in the foyer, Fumio tracked the sound to just outside the main entrance. Hearing yet another scream for help, the old matron quickly made her way down the stairs and to the front door. Opening it, Fumio was met with quite the odd sight.

Sprinting towards the Polar Star dorm, clothes torn, duffle bag dragging behind him, and with panic in his eyes, Thomas LeCavalier ran as fast as his tired body could carry him. Noticing how someone had finally answered his prayers the young foreigner picked up the pace.

Cupping his hands around his mouth, Thomas began yelling towards Fumio. "The second I get inside, close that door behind me!" Wondering why the teen was shouting such odd instructions, the old matron took a look behind the young man, her eyes nearly shooting out of their sockets at what she saw.

Running just behind the young man was a massive stampede of animals, all varied in shape and sizes. Chickens, Turkeys, Deer, Pigs, Cows, Goats, and even what appeared to be a Bear were all chasing the young man to the ends of the earth. Now understanding the young man's words, Fumio prepared to enact the plan.

Making it into the main courtyard and past the front gate, Thomas picked up the pace, seeing the finish line in sight.

Making it to the front steps, the young chef did a quick spin on his heels whilst taking his duffle bag off his back, using the momentum of his spin toss his duffle bag through the open doorway. No longer weighed down, Thomas was now able to jump the flight of stairs in one leap.

However, do to a noticeable injury on his ankle, Thomas quickly lost his balance on the landing. Doing his best to recover, the young chef used the last of his momentum to throw himself forward. Then, spinning around in mid air, Thomas looked back at the stampede behind him before throwing up two middle fingers in a final act of defiance.

Landing on his back and knocking the wind out of himself, the young chef used his last breath of air to shout out one, final command.

"Close it!"

Doing as was told, the old matron quickly slammed the door shut. Moments later, something heavy impacted the late, wooden doors of Polar Star, nearly knocking the door off it's hinges Fumio not locked it at the last second.

For nearly ten minutes, the sound of scratching, growling, and biting could be heard outside. Laying on the ground, gasping in whatever air he could manage too, Thomas ignored the sounds, more focused on his own well being then the slowly weakening door. Beside him, Fumio looked anxiously out the window at the crowd of beasts throwing there weight against Polar Star's front door, wondering just what the teen beside her had done to garner such hatred.

Eventually, the group of wild animals dispersed one after another. The bear however, didn't seem like it was willing to give up its target so easily. Walking back and forth outside the door long after the other animals left, it eventually layed down outside the door, seemingly waiting for it's prey to leave it's shelter.

Having regained his breath, the now rested Thomas looked out the window next to Fumio. "Is it just... gonna wait their for me?"

"It think it is. What did you do to that thing?" Turning towards Fumio, Thomas held his hands up in defence.

"Hey, I didn't do anything to aggravate him!"

"Then why the hell is he still just sitting out there waiting for you!?"

"I don't know! Maybe because he's hungry!"

"If it was chasing you just out of hunger, then why didn't it just eat one of the dozens of other animals running alongside it that bears naturally prey on!"

"...Ok, so, maybe I did kind of aggravate him, but still! That fact that he's going this far just to bite my ass means that there's something wrong with him!

"Oi, old lady Fumio. What's with all the noise out he- oh, hey Thomas. When did you get here? And... why are you all beat up?" Stopping their arguement, Thomas and Fumio looked to the top of the stairs towards Soma, the young red head tilting his head to the side in question.

Spotting his friend, Thomas smirked before adjusting his SnapBack and looking at Soma with a cool look in his eyes. "Well, I hope your ready for another one a' my long winded stories, cause this ones a doozy."

Widening his eyes at the prospect of hearing about another one of his friends escapades, Soma nodded his head before making to turn around. "Sure thing man. Just wait a second while I go get the others I bet they'll wanna hear this too!"

"Wait, wait, wait, just hold on a second! You!" Interrupting the two young boys, Fumio pointed a finger towards Thomas. "Would you mind telling me who your are and why you suddenly barged into my dorm in the middle of the night?"

A look of realization sweeping across his face, Thomas quickly began rummaging through his duffle bag before pulling out a piece of paper. Handing it the old lady, the young teen waited for her to read it over.

Finishing the paper, Fumio scratched her held whilst handing the page back to Thomas. "So, your the other transfer student, Thomas LeCavalier, hm? Well, normally upon entering the dorm, I'd have you cook a meal to see if your worth keeping around. But considering the current circumstances... I guess I can let you stay here for one night without having to cook up something."

Raising an eyebrow at Fumio's words, Thomas went to ask a question before quickly being cut off by the object the matron had suddenly tossed at him. Swiping it out of the air, Thomas opened his hand to reveal a key with an odd assortment of numbers on it.

"Sorry to say, but because of a the actions of a few, "unnamed individuals," all the rooms are either take, or currently unsuited for anyone to sleep in. So, your gonna be staying in the attic until we can get you a proper room."

"Uh, actually I don't know if that's gonna work for me. You see, I've actually got a pretty bad dust allergy that can cause my windpipe to shut-

"Ah, sweet the attic! I bet that'll be even bigger the Marui's room. Let's go check it out Tom!" Grabbing the the foreigner before he could finish explaining the rather important bit of information, Soma made for the top floor, Thomas and duffle bag in tow.

Shaking her head at the odd turn of events that had transpired over the course of the last fifteen minutes, Fumio began making her way to kitchen. With new blood being added into the mix, it was no doubt that party that had just started to die down would be thoroughly rejuvenated.

'Well,' Thought Fumio as she reached the kitchen. 'Might as well make some more food for the little devils if they're gonna be up all night.'

-0-0-0-

"Man, this place is dump."

"Meh. It's not so bad."

"Your not the one who's going to be living here." Grumbling, Thomas and Soma slowly looked over the attic that the foreigner would soon be calling home. Currently walking around with a pair of tissues stuffed up his nose, Thomas did his best to search for a light switch whilst not inhaling any dust. "Seriously, why doesn't that old lady just throw all this crap out instead of bringing it all up here?"

Across the room from him, Soma ducked under an arch beam before crouching in order to look at a broken down oven. Twisting its knobs, the red head turned towards his fellow transfer student. "This stuff probably has some sentimental value to her or something. She said earlier that she's been watching over Polar Star since day one, so everything up here probably has some sort of attachment to her."

"Yeah, whatever. Hey, I found a bed. You mind giving me a hand over here?" Nodding towards a single sized bed currently covered in a light drape, Thomas reached down to grab one end of the bed whilst, Soma walked over to the other. "Alright, we'll pick it up on three, ok?"

"Alright."

"Cool. One. Two. Three!" Straining there muscles, the two boys did they're best to lift up the bed. And while, Thomas did at least to get his side a few inches of the ground, the two quickly drew back and tried to regain there breath, neither of the two being strong enough to lift the wooden frame and mattress across the room. "Damn...Is that mattress...Full of bricks or something?"

"I don't know, but I feel like it might be." Whilst leaning forward to catch his breath, Soma began to here the sound of movement beneath his feat. Looking down, the red head was suddenly shocked as the floor panel right next to his foot lifted up, the smiling face of Satoshi Ishiki greeting him as if calmly.

"Well, I was wondering what all the noise was up here. What are you doing, Soma. Did Fumio ask you to get something up here?" Shaking his head, Soma pointed towards the currently stunned Thomas across from him.

"Uh, no. I'm up here cause uh..." Awkwardly pointing towards Thomas, Soma drew the older students attention away from him and towards the tallest of the three boys.

Tilting his head to the side in confusion, Ishiki turned around before looking up at Thomas. Smiling the 2nd year student quickly hoped out of his hole, clad in nothing but a head band and an apron. "Well today's just full of surprises. To think we'd be getting two new dorm mates in just one day. I'm sure everyone downstairs will be just as excited as I am." Holding out a hand in greeting, Ishiki looked towards Thomas expectantly. "My name is Satoshi Ishiki, though from now on, you may just call me Senpai."

"Uh..." mildly creeped out by the older teens upbeat attitude, Thomas hesitantly shook Ishiki's hand. "The names Thomas LeCavalier. Nice to meet you."

"Oh, a foreign name. Let me guess. Your from France, aren't you?"

"Uh, Canada, actually. My family's from Quebec."

"Oh that's exciting. We don't often get students all the way from North America at Totsuki. Less often Canada. I can't wait for you to tell me and the others all about your rich and diverse culture."

"Uh, yeah." A sweatdrop sliding down his face, Thomas slowly nodded in affirmative, doing his best to not look disturbed by the older teen infront of him. 'Why do I feel as if I'm being treated like a seven year old?'

"So then," said Ishiki stepping back a bit so he could face both transfer students. "What are you two doing up here?"

Taking the initiative, Soma spoke up. "Well, the old lady said we were out of useable rooms, so she put Thomas up here until we can fix up a proper one and pass the cooking challenge."

Stepping back in shock, Ishiki turned towards Thomas. "You mean Fumio is making you sleep up here. Well that won't do." Reaching out, Ishiki took hold of Thomas' hand. "Here, you and I can share a bed in my room tonight. It's the least I can do for my kohai."

Panicking at the turn of events, Thomas quickly took his hand back whilst taking a few steps away from Ishiki. "Nah, that-that's alright. I'll just Uh... I'll just do a bit of sweeping around and it'll be good as new. Perfectly livable."

"Are you certain? I guarantee you that my room will be a lot more comfy and cosy then sleeping up here."

"Yeah, I'm pretty certain." If Thomas was being honest, he wasn't sure if he'd be comfortable sleeping next to the older teen. Though he was pretty secure in his sexuality, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to make it through the night while sleeping next to the handsome young man infront of him. Especially if he decided to go to bed wearing just as much as he was right now.

Visibly downtrodden at the news, Ishiki quickly brightened back up. "Well then, at least let me assist you with moving this bed to a more excessable location."

"Thanks. I'd actually really appreciate that." Having successfully made it out of the awkward situation, Thomas went back to his side of the bed. Reaching down, he gripped the bottom of the frame whilst Soma and Ishiki grabbed the same spot on the other side.

Looking towards the two younger teens, Ishiki offered a quick reminder. "Now remember you two. Lift with your legs, that way you won't throw out your backs, ok?"

"Got it."

"Sure thing, bud."

"Alright then. On three." Tensing their muscles, the three Polar Star residents prepared to carry the bed.

"One." Said Ishiki, he and the others squatting and peeping their legs.

"Two." Said Soma, leaning his rear back whilst bringing his chest forward.

"Thre-

 ***Snap!***

"...Eh, did you guys hear tha-Ahhhhhhhhh!"

Having reached the final number, the three boys made to lift the bed before they suddenly were interrupted by the sound of a large crack echoing out beneath them. A mere second later, the floor beneath them gave out, splintering and breaking apart and sending Thomas, Soma, Ishiki, and the heavy bed down into the room right beneath.

That being, Zenji Marui's room.

"Oh my god, it's raining beds! Megumi, hold me!"

"W-What!"

"No! My rice juice!"

"...Ow."

"Ugh...what happened?"

"Is everyone all right. Just say the word and I'll carry you to the hospital myself!?"

"God, I think I broke my fucking legs!"

"My roooooooooooom!"

-0-0-0-

Back in her chair, sipping a cup of sake, and slowly rocking back and forth, Fumio listened to the sound of frantic screaming, splintering wood, and panicked children with a smile on her face.

'Yup,' Fumio thought to herself, downing an entire cup of sake in one go as she did. 'Just another night at Polar Star.'

-0-0-0-

 **Well here's chapter 2. Hope you like the ending. Gonna be honest, I had the idea for the animal chase and the ending scene in mind like, a day after I posted the first chapter, but I was just having trouble figuring out where to start after the morning ceremony, and how to connect all the events together. Otherwise, I could have had this chapter out in like, two days.**

 **Anyway, did not realize just how much fun it would be to write Ishiki. Had a blast writing his dialogue and weird personality, and already have a few thousand ideas rolling around in my head for future bits with him in it.**

 **Anyway, other then that, not much to say. Had a few emotions flying around in the beginning, some action in the beginning, and good ol' slapstick comedy at the end. Hope you guys enjoyed it.**

 **-0-0-0- The Bio I totally forgot to do in the first chapter**

 **Name: Thomas LeCavalier**

 **Age: 15**

 **Height: 186cm (6'1)**

 **Weight: 76kg (170lbs)**

 **Nationality: Canada**

 **Cooking style: Canadian cuisine, Jamaican**

 **Hair: Short, Black, Curly**

 **Eyes: Deep Brown**

 **Skin Tone: Mixed**

 **Appearance: As a chef, Thomas typically wears the Totsuki standard cooking attire with one sleeve rolled up to his elbow, with the other one unbuttoned at the wrist so that it nearly covers his entire left hand. He then uses the extra bit of sleeve as a makeshift napkin. He wears a black version of the standers Totsuki pants, with white highlights going up the outside of the legs. Finally, he wears a blue, backwards SnapBack on his head, a blue jays symbol visable on the front. He wears the hat backwards do to his belief that, "All the best sue chefs wear it like that."**

 **During school hours, he wears the standard uniform with the blazer and dress shirt undone, a white tee shirt visible underneath. He keeps his hat on unless teachers directly tell him to take it off.**

 **As casual attire, he wears a pair of blue jeans, a long sleeved black tee shirt rolled up to his elbows, his hat, and light blue spring jacket. He will even keep the jacket on inside, often garnering the question, "Oh, are you going somewhere?", whenever someone notices.**

 **-0-0-0-**

 **And finally, the reviews. Going to be honest, while I love Favs, Follows, and people just plain reading the fic, it's the reviews that I feel really keep me going. To get actual feedback on my work, be it positive or negative, is a big help to the story, as it points out flaws that I can work to improve, and gives me the motivation to keep on going.**

 **In other words, I am the addict, reviews are the drug. Just keep em' coming.**

 **Tasia'sENDLESSDreams: Thank you very much for being my first review. I too believe that writing a McGriddle into the story would integral for this fics success. And don't you worry. The phrase, "Talk shit, Get Hit", will definitely catch up with Thomas sooner then later.**

 **bladez4ever: Thanks. Credit goes to my Muslim friend Mustafa. The smart ass came up with the joke during a random history class a few weeks ago, and I just knew I had to write it in if my character was going to be staying in Japan.**

 **FearMeHorror: Thank you very much. Gonna do my best to upload a least 5k words once every ten days or so. I'll go no more then two weeks without a minor update otherwise.**

 **RoyalTwinFangs: Though is wish I had the awsome accent, I'm a proud Canadian born and raised. Thanks for the review.**

 **And other then that, thanks to everyone else who favourited, followed and read. You guys are treasures. Hope to see you next time.**

 **Cheers, eh?**


	3. Its Time For A BanE

**Happy first of July everybody! Or, for those of you unfamiliar with a country far up to the North, happy Canada day!**

 **Heres chapter three. Going to be honest, after reading some of the reviews from you guys, and noticing how some of you would like longer chapters, I started working the day after posting the last chapter. The explains why this chapter is coming out not even a week after the last one.**

 **I was actually planning on having it be longer too, but the two parts that I planned on both starting it with and ending it with felt like they'd be better used for later chapters after you guys get some more backstory on Thomas and his reasons for becoming a chef. Hope you don't mind.**

 **Other then that, hope you guys like the new chapter. Expect the next one to come out both later and be longer.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Shokugeki no Soma. All I own is my Oc and, recently, a right to party as it is now summer vacation!**

 **Rating T: Strong Language, Mild Sexual Humour, Violence. Honestly, not quite sure why I put drug use in the last few Ratings. Kinda weird.**

-0-0-0-

The atmosphere of Polar Star was always that of a rowdy one. For those on campus who new of its reputation, walking past it and not hearing a noise could be seen as either a miracle, or a sign of the impending apocalypse. Even in the early hours of he morning, if the sound of shouting, clanging and other forms of racket couldn't be heard, then that meant either one of two things happened.

Either one of the parties the dorm was famous for throwing had gotten too out of hand and left everyone in a blackout, which was typically the case, or, a travesty had occurred that had forced the usually happy dorm into a quiet shutdown.

For the current situation, both reasons could be used for the dorms current state.

It was early in the morning, with still another hour or two until school was scheduled to begin. And not so much as a peep could be heard from Polar Star.

Taking a look inside, most would assume at first glance that nothing was wrong. Todokoro Megumi, Yoshino Yuki, and Ryōko Sakaki, the three young girls of Polar Star, were all sleeping peacefully in there beds. In another section of the building, the two quote on quote, "Thugs", of Polar Star, Shoji Satō and Daigo Aoki too slept relatively quietly.

Taking a look on the second floor however, one began to notice something was off. Shun Ibusaki, the most reserved and quiet resident in Polar Star currently lay with a small amount of gauze wrapped around his forehead, further pushing his bangs down into his eyes.

And, oddly enough, laying down next to him, though uninjured, was the shivering form of Marui Zenji. As to why the two were sharing a bed, a simple look at poor Marui's room would be enough to explain why.

A busted open ceiling, a knocked over bookcase, books scattered everywhere, a healthy amount of saw dust both hanging in the air and resting on the debris, and, to top it off, the remains of what appeared to be a broken and busted in the middle of it all.

Panning away from that room and going back up to Megumi's floor whilst moving one room over, one could see a mostly unscathed Yukihira Sōma actually getting out of bed, the life style of waking up early to cook and prepare his family's diner having caught up to him.

Then, down in her room, Daimido Fumio sat in her rocking chair, a bottle of sake clutched happily to her side.

And finally, upon looking into the room of the only second year in Polar Star, one could see the silent frame of Satoshi Ishiki laying gently in bed, once again clad only in traditional Japanease underwear.

And laying down right next to him, arms crossed, barely awake, and with black rings of fatigue surrounding his eyes, Thomas LeCavalier lay staring at the ceiling.

Having failed to gain a wink of sleep last night do to the need for his current sleeping partner to attempt and, "cuddle with him", in his sleep, poor Thomas had spent a majority of the night keeping the older teen on the opposite side of the bed. And now, with Ishiki having finally fallen into a proper and deep sleep, Thomas could finally feel the allure of sleep overtake him.

Brown eyes slowly closing, the young foreigner could feel a solid few hours rest right around the corner. And then, just like that, his tired eyes shut, and unconscious gently overtook him.

"Benedictus! Et Affectus! Benedictus Hallelujah! (1)

Bringing his hand down on the top of his phone, Thomas quickly shut up the Christian Metal Rock before it could escalate any further. Slowly turning his head towards his phone, the exhausted chef looked at the screen.

6:30

Slowly increasing his grip on his phone, Thomas just about broke through the otter box (2) when he finally gave up and released an extremely over the top groan before walking over to his duffle bag before picking it up and walking out of the room.

-0-0-0-

A few minutes later, Thomas stepped out of the dorms washroom, face flushed and clad Totsuki's official uniform, albeit with the the buttons on the blazer and dress shirt undone, revealing a plain white shirt underneath. And just like in his cooking uniform, he had the right sleeve pulled up to the elbow whilst the left one was left unbuttoned at the wrist.

Shaking his head to get the last bit of water out of his hair, Thomas began made his way downstairs, walking around for a little while until he found the kitchen. Coming to stop at its entrance, Thomas was impressed by what he saw.

Compared to the rest of the slowly falling apart mansion, the kitchen was in mint condition, with the fridge, oven, and stove all sparkling silver and equally spaced apart, waxed floors, state of the art equipment, and everything else one could expect from a properly run restaurant.

"Damn."

"I know, right. I felt the same way when I saw it yesterday." Surprised by the sudden voice, Thomas turned around to see a wide awake Soma holding a small, rectangular box whilst walking towards him.

Nodding his head in acknowledgment, Thomas began making his way around the large kitchen, checking it out in closer detail whilst going through some of the drawers and doors.

Eventually coming to the pantry, Thomas opened his door and began looking through it with his eyes. After about a minute, he began shifting some things to the side, a look of annoyance slowly dawning on his face. After five more minutes, he began simply throwing things out of the large cupboard, seemingly upset with something.

"Like, for God's sake." Eventually Pulling his head out of the cupboard, Thomas looked towards the red head who was currently sharpening his knives across the room from him. "Do you guys have any Vector... or Shreddies or... Anything?"

Tilting his head to the side, Soma temporarily stopped his task to pay Thomas his attention. "What's a Vector."

Sending Soma a look of disbelief, Thomas formed a box shape with his hands. "Its a cereal brand."

"...Wait. You'd actually eat cereal?" The look of genuine surprise on the young Yukihira's face caused Thomas to raise an eyebrow.

"Yeah. And so does just about half of the freaking planet buddy."

Shaking his head, Soma held up his hands in defence. "No, no, no. I know that. I just forgot you weren't from Japan for a second. Here it's pretty weird to eat cereal instead a proper meal or even just a piece of toast."

"Huh." Only saying that much on the topic, Thomas half hazardously shoved everything he'd pulled out of the pantry back into place. "Alright then, guess that ideas bust. Hey, Soma, do you guys have Uber eats here?"

"What?"

"Ah, forget it. I'll just skip breakfast for now. Probably just have a big lunch later or something."

Once again stopping his knife sharpening, Soma looked towards his friend with concern. "You sure man? I can cook something up for you if you want to wait ten minutes."

Waving a hand over his shoulder, Thomas exited the kitchen and began making for the front door. "Nah, it's alright. I've got a stupid announcement I have to make this morning and I'm supposed to be there early. I'll see you later, eh."

Coming to the door, Thomas checked his pockets to make sure he had everything before opening the large slab of wood. "Well, let's get going..." The words dying on tongue, Thomas slowly closed the door in front of him before quickly walking backwards and back into the kitchen, not even looking behind him as he did so.

Noticing the return of his friend, Soma let a smile creep onto his face. "I see you changed your mind then, hm?" Seemingly Ignoring the red head's question, Thomas quickly pulled out up a chair from under the counter before taking a seat an resting his chin on his hands.

Looking dead ahead in front of him, Thomas' foot began thumping against the ground in overtime, a sign of both careful thinking and extreme nervousness. Then, suddenly stopping, Thomas slowly turned his eyes towards the young Yukihira and muttered two words.

"We have a problem."

-0-0-0-

"It's still there?"

"This is getting ridiculous."

"Seriously. What on earth did you do to make it so dead set on eating you."

"Look I'll tell you later, alright. It's kind of embarrassing."

Nodding, Soma looked back out the window beside the front door and towards the large, brown mess sleeping outside of it. Curled up into itself, the grizzly bear that had been chasing Thomas and the other animals last night lay sleeping.

"So... how are you going get rid of that thing. Cause, we're gonna have to leave this place eventually, and I don't think that things gonna let us."

Closing his eyes and thinking, Thomas tried his best to come up with something. "Well... If we had some sort of live bait, I could try and use the same diversion strategy that I used last night. It will probably be more effective now then it was earlier too, considering how hungry the bear must be by now."

"Diversion strategy? Seriously, what the hell happened last night?"

"Not important. Now, on a totally unrelated topic to mine currently needing live bait, does this dorm have a pet cat or something that nobody would notice if it went missing."

Scratching his chin, Soma thought back to anything like that being mentioned to him the day before. "Hmmm. Not that I recall. Hell, I don't even think Fumio even allows animals in he- That's it!" Turning towards Thomas, the shorter teen grabbed the taller boy by the shoulders. "Yoshino Yuki's room!"

Tilting his head to the side Thomas gave Soma a contemplative look. "You mean the one ginger chick. Well... she looked pretty excitable, so that might draw the bear's attention at first. But considering how skinny she is, I doubt he'd stay interested very long. Now, if we got that fuller girl with the rack..."

Shaking his head, Soma began dragging Thomas up the stairs. "I don't mean it like that! Just follow me and you'll see." Making there way up to the second floor, the two teenage boys eventually came to a stop at room 116.

Pointing towards the number, Soma began whispering. "This is Yuki's room. She's a first year like us. From what I heard at the party last night, she specializes in raising and cooking wild game food. She takes it so seriously that she even keeps some of her favourite animals in her room with her. So, if we can get in there, then we can use one of her animals as bait."

"Well, that sounds like a good idea," started Thomas hesitantly. "But if she loves those animals enough to let them sleep with her, do you really think she'll just hand one over for us to use as bear food.

A look of mischief flashing through his eyes, Soma tightened his head band before making an odd symbol with his hands. "We'll sneak our way in." (2)

A look of realization coming to his eyes, Thomas' face slowly morphed into an evil grin. "Oh, delightfully devilish Soma. (3) So, how are we gonna get in."

Holding a finger up to speak, Soma suddenly fell silent. "...I don't know."

Feeling his eye tick at the red heads lapse in thought, Thomas let out of gust of air from his mouth. "Well that's freaking dandy." Now at an impasse, both boys folded their arms while sighing. A few seconds later, the sound of footsteps echoed throughout the hallway. Turning towards it, both young chefs were surprised to see who it was.

Walking down the hallway towards them, clad in her pyjamas (4),Todokoro Megumi came to a stop upon noticing the two older boys crouched down in the hallway.

"S-Soma? What are you doing crouched down in the hallway?" Walking towards the two, Megumi let her gaze fall on Thomas. "Oh, and your name is Thomas, right?"

"Yeah. Last name, LeCavalier. Your uh... Megumi, right?"

Hesitantly nodding her head, the shy blunette came to a stop beside the crouching duo. "So... What are you to doing out here?"

Falling back on his haunches before leaning against the wall, Soma looked up at her. "Well, we're trying to get rid of the bear sleeping outside of our dorm right now, but the only way to do that is with some live bait. Sadly, we're kind of in a pickle as how to get some."

"...huh?" Not quite sure she had heard what Soma had just said properly, Megumi tilted her head to the side.

"Not so fast, Yukihira." Standing up to full height, Thomas made his over to Megumi, eventually coming to a stop right in front of her. Looking her up and down, the taller teen began circling the much shorter girl. Throughly intimidated by the boy a near foot taller then her staring at her so intently, Megumi began shivering in place out of fear.

Noticing this, Thomas smiled before taking a step back. "Well, Soma. I think I've solved our little bait problem."

Tilting his head to the side, the red head asked his taller companion to elaborate.

"Soma just look at her." Taking a step beside Megumi, Thomas began pointing at her arms, chest, and legs. "While she's just about as short as Yuki, she's still got a bit more meat on her."

Noticing now that both boys were looking her up and down with strange looks, a frightened Megumi raised one of her hands just a bit further up to cover her chest more, whilst moving her other hand behind her back and below her waist in an attempt to cover her butt.

"And there!" Startled Thomas sudden jump in volume, Megumi flinched. "Just look at this frantic and startled personality she has. Once the bear catches even a glimpse of that, he'll be chasing her all over campus because he'll smell in easy kill!"

No longer frightened but full on terrified by the older teens words, Megumi began to take slow steps backwards, hoping to escape the situation before becoming bear food. Luckily, it would appear the Soma would once again be her saviour.

"Nah, let's not do that." Snapping out of her shock, Megumi look towards her red headed friend, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "I think that, because she's so frantic, the bear might just sense somethings off and become more creeped out by her then anything."

Head dropping at Soma's reasoning, Megumi decided it was about time she got going. "W-we'll, I have to go take a shower now... so I'll see you two lat-

"Wait!"

"Huh?" Once again startled by the Thomas' sudden interruption, Megumi slowly turned back to him.

"Do you by chance have a bobby pin on you? I think that might be able to do the trick for us. By the way, I'm asking because I noticed the clip in your hair and am guessing that you might have some other pins keeping your braids in place, not because your a girl. Just to be safe."

Though confused by the taller teen's extended explanation, Megumi slowly nodded her head. If it meant she could get out of the situation without being used in some sort of trap for a bear, then she'd be willing to part with one little pin. Nodding, she reached in to the pocket of her pyjamas and pulled one out. She'd planned on putting it in her hair after her shower, but she could just borrow one from Yuki later.

Taking it with a thanks, Thomas turned around and made his way back over to Yuki's door with Soma. Exactly five seconds later, Megumi immediately began to regret her actions.

"W-W-What are you doing?!" Stopping in his attempting to unlock Yuki's door with a bobby pin, Thomas looked at Megumi like she was an idiot.

"I'm breaking into Yuki's room. What does it look like?" Turning to Soma, Thomas began giving him some orders. "Alright, you watch my back while I do this, eh. I was only Adept at lock picking in Skyrim, so this might take a while."

Nodding his head, Soma began looking down one end of the hallway. Turning to the currently horrified Megumi, Thomas gave her some instructions too. "You watch the other way and just tell me if someone's coming, alright. I don't want someone getting the wrong idea about me and thinking that I'm some sort of creep who sneaks into girls rooms."

It was beautifully ironic that, that exact assumption was currently going through Megumi's head.

After a few minutes, an audible click echoed throughout the mostly empty hallway. Now giddy with excitement, Thomas and Soma exchanged a quick high five. Next to them, Megumi was currently attempting to shout for the matron. A shame that her being on the verge of hyper ventilating was stopping her from doing that.

"Alright," said Thomas. "I'm gonna go in there, find something easy enough the sneak away but big enough to get the bear's attention, and then, Yahtzee! One bear bait coming up.

Soma nodded, a confident smirk on his face.

Megumi squeaked, a terrified look in her eyes.

-0-0-0-

Sneaking into the room in a crouch, Thomas closed the door behind him so as to keep any light out from shining in and waking Yuki. Taking a look around, Thomas was suddenly froze in his tracks.

All lying down on a single sized bed and staring directly at him with a questioning look in there eyes, a group of no less then a dozen life stock tilted they're heads in confusion.

The stare down want on for a very long minute before Thomas eventually came to the conclusion that the animals were docile.

Crouch walking over to the bed, the BandE commuting teen did a once over of the small group.

'Alright. Selection time. We've got a... Rooster, Quill, Deer, Duck, Tea cup pig, shirt ginger girl, a pheasant and a-" Doing a quick double take, Thomas looked back to the group of animals.

Sure enough, sleeping peacefully underneath and some how not being crushed by the group of animals atop her, Yoshimitsu Yuki currently lay, completely oblivious to the situation around her.

Deciding to ignore her for now, Thomas eventually settled on the rooster currently looking at him with questioning eyes. Reaching to pick it up, the thieving teen got a good hold off it before lifting it up-

"Sssnnnnnaagggghhhhhh!"

...And promptly putting it right back down upon hearing the obnoxiously loud snore that emitted from Yuki's mouth upon feeling the roosters weight leave her body.

Taking a step back, Thomas quickly realized the situation. Every single animal there was sitting on some part of the girls body, and if he so much as tried to move one, the ginger sleeping in front of him would surely awaken.

Taking a look around the room, Thomas let his eyes settle on the digital clock positioned on Yuki's bed side table.

7:12

'Shit,' thought Thomas. 'I'm already going to be late for those stupid announcements. And to top it off, considering class starts at 8:15, I'm willing to bet her alarms going to go off in three minutes.'

Realizing that he was running out of time, Thomas sent his mind in to overtime, desperately trying to come up with an idea.

"Bock."

Hearing the sudden sound, Thomas raised an eyebrow before looking down at the sound that had emitted from around his feet.

"...Hello."

-0-0-0-

Megumi had always known she was a worrisome person. A girl who tended to blow things out of proportion just a bit to often. An over thinking student who second guessed everything she does only moments after doing so.

Right now however, she believes that her worrying was very well justified.

"Y-You can't use that as bait!"

"Why not." Now back down in the foyer and just moments away from opening the front door, Thomas held up the golden feathered chicken currently hanging calmly in his arms.

"B-Because Yuki's been breeding that chicken for months now! You can't just go and throw it away to some bear!"

Raising his eyebrow, Thomas did a once over of he bird. "Yeah... It does look to be in pretty good health. It's feathers are practically shining."

Letting out a breath of air, the short blunette was happy that her words had finally gotten through to the stubborn teen In front of her.

"Sadly though we literally have no other options, so the chicken must go." Raising one hand just in time to hold Megumi by the forehead and prevent her from reaching out at the chicken Thomas gestured for Soma to open the door. "Now let's see. What are we gonna name this fella. We can't just go sacrificing him without giving him one."

Scratching his head with one hand, Soma made a suggestion. "What about Phoenix, in honour of the golden bird that will live forever."

Pointing a finger gun a Soma, Thomas shot the idea down. "I like it, but it also feels kind of unoriginal. We'll keep it in the banks though." Nodding the two teens went back to thinking.

"Ah, I got it!" Solemnly turning towards the golden chicken in his right hand, Thomas did his best to ignore the struggling Megumi trying to get past her left. "In honour of the great Canadian jazz musician Oscar Peterson, I dub thee... Canadian Jazz Musician Oscar Peterson!"

Holding the bird up in triumph, one could almost see the golden rays of heaven shining down on the creature. And out the window, high up in the sky, one could also just barely make out the shape of a portly, middle aged black man in a suit nodding his head in pride.

"Alright Soma, hit it!" Walking over the door whilst continuing to restrain Megumi, Thomas got ready to sacrifice Canadian Jazz Musician Oscar Peterson, to the beast outside.

"Alright then. One..." Soma opened the door, revealing the the slumbering form of the grizzly bear laying down just feet away from them. Upon seeing, Megumi quickly gave up her struggle and backed away a solid ten metres from the now open door.

"Two..." Drawing his arm back, Thomas prepared to toss the chicken out the door.

"Thr-

"What are you guys doing with my chicken!"

Just before the final number was pronounced, the three teens and one chicken standing in the foyer looked up towards the noise that had come from the top of the stairs.

Standing there in nothing but her pyjamas. the small form of Yoshino Yuki stood with a look of pure rage across her face and a dark aura surrounding her body.

Thomas' eyebrows shot into his hairline.

Soma's face blanched.

Megumi's eyes lost there pupils.

Canadian Jazz Musician Oscar Peterson felt a wave of dread cross over it upon seeing its master.

And the bear... The bear finally woke up.

-0-0-0-

 **Well, thats chapter three. Hope you liked it.**

 **As you can tell, this one may seem a bit rushed, but upon realizing Canada day was right around the corner, I felt it was necessary to post an update for this fic do to its having a Canadian protagonist.**

 **Also, some of you may notice how I sometimes put a random (1) beside a familiar or strange sounding sentence. That number signifies that I am referencing. It's part of MLA format, I think, and just makes sure that the people who came up with the jokes can get credit for them. So, here are those references.**

 **(1) Blessed and Possessed By Powerwolf. The lyrics coming from Thomas are heard at the opening to the song. He uses it as in alarm as no other song is loud enough to get him out of bed.**

 **(2) The standerd Ninja seal from Naruto.**

 **(3) Steamed hams, anyone?**

 **Anyway, I'm really happy with the amount of feedback I was getting for the last chapter. Hell, I got one literally five minutes ago before writing thee authors notes. Once more, my humble thanks for the support you guys.**

 **And now, the reviews.**

 **animelover78861: Thank you very much. And don't worry, while it was hinted at in this chapter, I promise the full story will be revealed in chapter 4. Hopefully your there for it. See you then.**

 **Food (Guest): Thanks for the support man. I'm hoping to buff the chapters lengths real soon, but for now, I'm still just trying to get in the groove of things before that. Hope you don't mind. Thanks for the review.**

 **Tasia'sENDLESSDreams: Good to see you again. And once again, no need to worry. Being the Ikumi is one of my favourite characters, I've had plans for her since day one. After all, two aggressive personality's like hers and Thomas' can't come into contact with one another and NOT have some sort of dominance struggle. Thanks for the review.**

 **bladez4ever: Thank you for yet another review my friend. Glad to see you like the OC.**

 **Other then that, thank you to everyone who favourited and followed. Your support is what keeps me going.**

 **Till next time, Eh?**


	4. Doing The Bear Minimal

**Ello, ello, what's all this then?**

 **This, for those of you wondering, is the unlucky chapter four, as Guido Mista would say.**

 **God, I'm so happy they finally announced it.**

 **Anyway, worked real hard on this one, so I hope you guys enjoy it. Cheers, eh.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Food Wars/Shokugeki No Sōma. All I own are my OC's and ideas.**

 **-0-0-0-**

When Ibusaki Shun awoke, it was to the sound of banging and screaming from the first floor. Though such noises weren't uncommon in the Polar Star dorm, it was the panic and desperation behind the noises that gained his suspicions.

Sitting up, Ibusaki reached up to the bandages around his head, giving them a slight tug to make sure they were in place before getting out of bed. Looking over at the still sleeping form of Marui, Ibusaki did his best to crawl out of the crowded single without waking up his temporary bed mate.

Though he was mildly concerned by the noises emitting from downstairs, the monotone teen didn't over exert himself whilst getting ready. Putting on a pair of slippers, Ibusaki quietly opened his door before stepping outside. Upon entering the hallway, the noise from downstairs became much more audible and clearer. A bang, heavy stomping, the clanging of silverware and pottery, all of these sounds and more could now be clearly made out.

 ***Slam!***

"Ahh!"

"Holy fuck, it broke the fucking door down!"

"To the kitchen, hurry!"

"W-w-what about Soma?!"

"Just leave him! He'll only slow us down!" Afterwards, the sound of frantic running echoed throughout the halls, followed slowly by far heavier footsteps and strange, deep breathing.

...Picking up the pace from his casual stroll to a slightly more concerned jog, Ibusaki quickly found his way to the stairwell before making his way downstairs to the second floor. Making his way to the balcony over looking the main entrance, Ibusaki was met with a questioning sight.

Knocked clean off its hinges, the front door of Polar Star lay face down on the ground. And, oddly enough, what appeared to be the unconscious form of Yukihira Soma trapped beneath it, his legs having been trapped underneath the door as it fell.

Hustling down the stairs, Ibusaki went to lift the door off the downed Yukihira when he heard more noise emit from the direction of the dining room. Looking towards it, Ibusaki quickly turned back to Soma, giving him a quick once before deciding the teen would be fine for just a few more minutes, the turtle neck wearing teen quickly stood up and made his way to the dining hall.

As the sounds intensified, Ibusaki began slowing down, eventually coming to a stop as he got to the corner just around the dining room. Slowly peaking his head around it, Shun's eyes nearly became visible do to how high his eyebrows raised.

Pushing heavily against the door leading into the kitchen, a massive grizzly bear did its best to push open the small door. Every once in awhile, when the bear would manage to push the door open enough for Ibusaki to see into the kitchen, the auburn haired teen could just barely make out flashes of dark skin, orange hair, and tear filled eyes.

"Come on you two, keep pushing! He's starting to break through!"

"I'm trying, but I'm just not strong enough!"

"Oh for the love of- maybe if you dropped Oscar Peterson, you would be!

"How is one extra arm going to help us against a grizzly bear?! And besides! Drop my chicken and risk letting you get your hands on him again! Fat chance!.. And his names not Oscar Peterson!"

"P-Please stop fighting you two!" Beyond the door, the struggling voices of Thomas, Yuki, and Megumi were just barely audible over the bears growling and struggling.

Standing just around the corner, Ibusaki watched the two forces struggle against each other for a full minute, seemingly having trouble processing the situation before him.

"..." Then, calmly and casually, Ibusaki turned around and began making his way back upstairs, raising a hand to his head and gingerly touching the bandages over his forehead as he did. "That bed must've hit me harder then I thought last night."

Making his way to his room, Ibusaki summed up the whole situation as nothing more then a simple bad dream caused by his head injury. It was the only logical conclusion after all. Sure, a giant grizzly bear wasn't the weirdest thing that he had seen whilst staying in the troublesome dorm, but once he heard that bit about Canadian jazz legend Oscar Peterson actually being present in the kitchen alongside his friends as they were attacked by a bear, he knew something was off.

Coming to his room, Ibusaki opened his door and made his way over to his bed. Hopefully, by getting back in his bed and closing his eyes, he'd wake up from the strange dream.

"Oh shit, the doors giving!"

Yup... just a strange dream.

-0-0-0-

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

"Eeeeeeeiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"

"God, would you two shut up!" Tired of the two girls currently screaming they're heads off behind him, Thomas did his best to focus on the situation at hand and ignore the noise behind him.

Currently pinned in the corner of the kitchen with Megumi and Yuki, Thomas did his best to fend off the bear infront of him with the broken off kitchen door. Pressing more weight against the make shift shield, the bear forced the struggling teen back yet another step, pushing him flat against the two short girls behind him.

"Shit!" Cursing, Thomas angrily turned to look at the two girls behind him. If they would just stop screaming and help him push a little, then maybe they'd be able to get out of the corner. What he saw when he finally got a glimpse of them suddenly made him stop.

Fear.

Genuine fear was evident on both Megumi and Yuki's faces. This actually made Thomas think for a second.

Since he had arrived in Japan one week ago, all it had been was over exaggerated emotions, unrealistic reactions to simple matters, and everyone blowing things way out of proportion. So, to see something so genuine like true, genuine terror on the girls faces was more then a little shocking. It actually made him feel guilty at allowing them to have such an expression on they're faces.

Looking at Megumi and Yuki cowering behind him, desperately hoping he and his makeshift shield would be enough to keep back the force of the bear, Thomas bit his lip, looking around for anything he could use to get them out of the situation. Shifting his broken door a bit more while pushing the bear back a bit, the young LeCavalier suddenly spotted a way out.

Behind the bear and across the kitchen from he and the girls, the empty doorway where the massive grizzly had entered from earlier called out to him. Grinning, Thomas went to relay his findings to Megumi and Yuki when he suddenly felt a massive amount of force slam into his shield.

"Rrrrrrrrrooooooggggghhhhh!" Having grown impatient, the bear had suddenly lifted up one of its massive paws and threw it against Thomas' shield, effectively throwing it and the young chef to the side. Slamming into a counter, Thomas cursed as he felt a flare of pain suddenly make its way through his shoulder. Suddenly remembering what was going on, Thomas shot up, ignoring his pain in favour of looking back at Megumi and Yuki.

"Hey! Are you two all-". Surpsingly however, the two were perfectly fine, having not been effected by the bears attack. Though that was fine considering they hadn't actually been the ones hit, what threw Thomas off was that fact that the two girls were no currently being mauled to death.

For some reason, instead of preying upon the now defenceless young girls, the bear had opted to slowly walk after him instead, pushing him back into yet another wall. Noticing this, Thomas yet again raised his shield, this time even more damaged then it had been before. Gritting his teeth, a look of realization suddenly came across his face. Now that they weren't trapped, Yuki and Megumi had a clear get away to the exit with the bear now longer targeting them.

That however left him with a problem. While they would be able to escape, that left him stuck in the kitchen with the bear, cause if he tried chasing after them, the bear would be on his back before he even made it to the door, and if he tried backing up towards the exit, then the bear would ruin his shield before he even made half way across the kitchen.

'Shit! What the hell do I do?' Trying his best to come up with an idea, Thomas looked back and Megumi and Yuki for support. That however would prove to be a mistake. For him, anyway. Seeing the terror and confusion on their faces yet again was all it took for Thomas to come to a decision, a look of annoyance on his face as he did. 'Why do cute girls have to be so convincing?'

"Hey, you two!" Hearing the cry of their fellow dorm mate, Megumi and Yuki looked towards him questioningly. Pointing towards the empty doorway, Thomas quickly looked back at the bear. "You guys make a run for the door! I'll distract this thing here and make sure he doesn't follow you!"

"W-what!?" Surprised, a look of shock came across Megumi's face. Next to her, Yuki shook her head back and forth.

"Are you crazy man!? There's no way you'll survive!" Both not agreeing with the teens crazy plan, Megumi and Yuki refused to leave. Kissing his teeth, Thomas continued distracting the bear.

"Look, if you guys make it out of here, then that means you can call for help and bring them back here to take care of the bear. That means I've just gotta survive here for as long as that takes, right? Now, get going!"

Though able to see the logic behind it, Megumi still seemed nervous at the prospect of letting someone she'd just met the night before potentially sacrifice themselves for her sake. "B-but-

"Butts are for spanking! Now get outta here or I swear to god your going right over my knee!" Growing tired of the girls refusal to leave, Thomas dodged yet another one of the bears swipes before bringing his foot down in an axe kick atop the creatures head.

Flinching away from the struggling teens aggressive tone, Megumi bit her lip, completely and totally unsure as to what she should do. Just then, she felt a sudden hand on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw Yuki giving her a nervous smile, Oscar Peterson still in hand.

"Megumi, I know you want to stay. Trust me, I do to. But just look at the situation. Neither of us can fight that bear and nobody else knows what's going on here. Unless we go and warn someone, then the bear will go after everyone else in the dorm after it gets us." Hearing the words from her friend, Megumi looked back at Thomas, currently in a shoving match with the bear.

Watching her struggling friend for a few seconds, Megumi finally came to a decision. Turning toward Yuki, the bluenette nodded her head. Nodding as well, Yuki quickly ran toward the door, Oscar Peterson bouncing in her arms as she did. Rushing after her friend, Megumi came to a stop and turned around just as she reached the door.

"Thomas!" Landing in uppercut to the bears chin with his foot, Thomas took a second form his fight to look at the short girl. "We're gonna be back with help real soon, so you just hold out here 'till then, ya hear?"

Smirking, the teen offered her a quick circle with his fingers before turning back to the creature before him, Megumi fleeing the room soon after.

Now able to pay full attention to the creature before him, Thomas looked back to his opponent, determination and focus now clear on his face. Across from him, the bear snarled, mirroring the young teen's expression. "Alright beastie, lets play, eh!"

Rushing forward, Thomas held his shield up before throwing his weight forward, effectively shield bashing the surprised grizzly right in the snout. Having been on the offensive all morning, the bear was effectively thrown off guard by the sudden attack.

Landing a hit solidly in the face, Thomas threw the bear backwards and onto its haunches. Stumbling forward, Thomas quickly righted himself, getting back into a solid defensive position while gripping his shield tightly. Peeking around it, Thomas smirked at the staggered form of the bear before him.

Currently shaking its head while bringing its paws up to its snout, the massive grizzly bear made for a rather comedic sight. Thomas, being the mature adult that he was, grinned while looking at the dazed creature. "Weren't expecting that now, were ya?"

Snarling at Thomas' mocking off him, the grizzly quickly got back onto all fours before charging the cocky teen. Expecting this, Thomas side stepped at the last second before swinging the broken door to the side, slamming the slab of wood against the rushing bear's head as it went.

Missing his target and thrown off balance from the blow to its head, the bear ended up running face first into one of the many counters lining the walls of the kitchen. Injuring its already bruised snout, the bear let out of a cry of pain. Not looking a gift horse in the mouth, Thomas rushed forward, using his weight and door to body check the bear in the side.

Though it didn't deal much damage considering the massive amounts of fat on the bears side, the force behind the blow sent the bear stumbling forward, bashing its head into the counter for a second time. Now completely disoriented, the bear fell on its haunches.

Feeling a victory right around the corner, Thomas rushed to the bears side before slamming into it, sprawling the poor creature on the ground. Dazed and confused, the bear lay there, its earlier anger forgotten. Eventually coming back to it, the bear took in the sight of two running shoes right next to its face. Looking up, the creatures eyes popped out of their sockets.

Standing above the creature, Thomas grinned like a mad man as he held one of the kitchen's microwaves high above his head. Leaning back, Thomas sent the creature one last look of determination. "Tell Koda's Mom I said hi, motherfu-!" (1)

"Stop!"

Hearing a familiar shout off to the side, Thomas looked towards it while attempting to stop the decent of his microwave. Sadly, the momentum of his throw threw him off balance, sending him tumbling to the ground and the microwave off course, missing the bear's head.

Landing unceremoniously on the ground, Thomas quickly went to sit up when he felt a sudden weight slam harshly down on his chest, the force pushing him back down to the ground in winding him in the process. Tears of pain coming to his eyes, the dazed teen was just barely able to make out the snarling form of the grizzly bear above him slowly raise its free front paw in order to deal the finishing blow. Wincing, Thomas closed his eyes and braced himself for he pain.

"Wizzly, that means you too!" Hearing the voice yet again, Thomas peeled his eyes open slightly, surprised to find that the bear had actually listened to the command and was slowly stepping off his chest, albeit begrudgingly. Now able to breath freely, Thomas began coughing the air back into his lungs while looking towards the direction of the voice. Upon seeing who had called the bear off him, Thomas was no longer surprised that the bear had actually listened.

Now standing next to the bear and gently petting its head, principal Senzaemon apologetically looked at the young chef. Behind him, the worried forms of Yuki and Megumi made they're way towards the downed teen.

Reaching him, Megumi supported the teens head as he leaned forward. "Thomas! Are you alright?"

Leaning back in the short girls arms, Thomas nodded, still too short of breath to do anything else. Dropping down onto the ground next to her friend, Yuki gave Thomas a look of anger that would've genuinely frightened the exhausted teen if it weren't for the small, golden chicken peacefully looking around in her arms.

"God, I can't believe you actually made us leave you behind. Do have any idea how worried we were for you?"

Rolling his eyes, Thomas slowly reached up to place a finger against Yuki's lips. Surprised, the small girl blushed lightly. Looking up at her with playful eyes, Thomas let a smirk come to his lips. "Shhhhhhh... be quiet ginger." (2)

Less then a second later, Oscar Peterson was doing his best to stay floating in the air while Yuki drove her fist into Thomas chest.

"Aaauuuugggghhhhh!"

"Where do you get off calling me a ginger!"

"Y-Y-Yuki, please! Thomas is already hurt!"

"If would please refrain from injuring Mr. LeCavalier any further, Ms. Yoshino. I'd like to have a few words with him and I'd prefer if he were conscious while we spoke." Having forgotten about the other two occupants of the room, Yuki slowly turned towards the intimidating figure of Senzaemon and the bear beside him. Bowing his head, the old man looked at Thomas apologetically "I'm sorry for the trouble, Mr. LeCavalier. While I meant to inform you of this yesterday, I believe it slipped my mind amongst all the activity."

Grimacing at the memory of the day before, Thomas looked at the headmaster with confusion. "Inform me of what? That I'd get attacked by a freaking grizzly bear?"

Looking at the teen solemnly, the tall old man pointed towards the now laying down bear. "Yes, actually."

Eyebrows shooting into his hairline, Thomas looked at Senzaemon accusingly. "Wait, wait, wait, you KNEW I was going to get attack by a bear! And then, instead of telling me it just, "Slipped your mind!""

"Well, I DID intend to tell you after the opening ceremony, but then you decided to go and-

"Oh, for the love of- It was one joke!"

"All that aside!" Said Senzaemon, wanting to get back to the matter at hand. "I believe an explanation is in order."

Pointing at the bear that was now laying down on the ground with its head on its paws, Senzaemon spoke. "This is Wizzly, and for the past few years he has been a wall that every Canadian student must overcome should they wish to attend Totsuki." (2)

Looking at the bear disbelievingly, Thomas glanced up at Senzaemon. "Are you serious?"

"Very much so. For many years now, any student traveling to Totsuki from Canada has had to defeat Wizzly in two challenges. First, they must display worthy resilience and power, successfully defeating him in combat, a task only few have ever made it past. Then, they must prove that they are worthy of staying at Totsuki by cooking a dish that is worthy of his palette, a feat that only one student has ever accomplished."

"Wait, so now that I've kicked this things ass, I've actually got to cook for it? All just so that I can pass an entrance exam that I already passed last week?" Nodding together, Senzaemon and Wizzly looked at Thomas expectantly. Sighing, Thomas ran a hand through his short hair. "Jesus Christ, Japan is backwards."

Finally standing up from the ground, Thomas looked at the large bear before him and began thinking. 'Well, I've been wanting to make this dish recently, so I guess this'll be a good way to test it out.' Turning towards Yuki, Thomas got the short girls attention. "Hey Yuki, Soma said your an expert on game good, right?"

Nodding her head, Yuki watched in wonder as a sly grin slowly made its way onto Thomas' face.

"Well then, in exchange for my noble sacrifice earlier, I'd like to ask you a little favour.

-0-0-0-

Ten minutes later, Thomas and Yuki returned to the kitchen, the former now dressed in his cooking attire and carrying a small cooler on his shoulder.

Walking past Senzaemon, Megumi, and Wizzly, Thomas dropped the cooler onto the counter before lifting off the lid and pulling out the containers soul occupant. Holding it up, Thomas revealed a large slab of meat wrapped up in parchment paper. Placing it on the counter for later use, Thomas looked back at Senzaemon with a stare. Meeting his gaze, the headmaster waited for the teen to speak.

"Sir, I'm sorry to say, but it appears that I won't be able to make it to morning announcements today. Would you mind letting postpone it to tomorrow."

Looking at Thomas with an unreadable gaze, Senzaemon pointed a finger towards the lounging form of Wizzly. "If your dish doesn't meet his expectations, then you may very well never get the chance to make those announcements. So for now, just focus on your cooking."

Turning his stare to Wizzly, Thomas met the bear's fierce gaze with a look of his own. Steeling his eyes, the determined chef suddenly looked towards Megumi.

"Hey, Meg!" Shocked by the sudden call of her name, or what sounded like it, Megumi flinched before looking at her tall friend. "Hate to ask, but would you mind being my sous chef for a couple minutes. It'll help kill some time that I'd rather not waste."

Surprised by his sudden request, Megumi hesitantly nodded her head before making her way over to the counter and pulling out a simple apron from the cupboard. "I-I don't know how much help I'll be, but I'll do my best."

Nodding his head, Thomas reached into one of the cupboards he'd looked through earlier that morning and pulled out a large skillet. "Alright then. For now, I just need you to get out a casserole dish before peeling and mashing some potatoes."

Confident that she'd at least be able to preform the simple enough task, Megumi nodded her head before getting to work. Seeing that he could count on the short bluenette for now, Thomas got started on his own task. Making his way to the fridge, the now focused teen began pulling out what he needed. That being, carrots, onions, garlic, mushrooms, rosemary and stock.

Taking them over to the counter, Thomas left them on a chopping board before heading over to a oven and preheating it to 350 degrees. Taking the skillet and meat he'd grabbed earlier, Thomas placed the first on an element before unwrapping the second, revealing a large, deep red coloured piece of meat without a single white line or piece of fat. Noting its unique appearance, Senzaemon looked at Yuki, noting how the short girl was watching anxiously as Thomas began cooking the piece of meat in the skillet.

"Ms. Yoshino." Surprised that the headmaster was talking to her directly yet again, Yuki hesitantly looked towards him. "If you don't mind me asking, just what did you and LeCavalier go to retrieve when you left the room?"

Not too surprised by the question, Yuki looked back on as Thomas began browning the meat in canola oil. "That meat that he has is something we don't typically carry in the kitchen, something that I keep in my private stock." Turning to look the headmaster right in the eyes, Yuki revealed her secret. "It's venison."

Deeming that the skillet would be fine if left alone for a few more minutes, Thomas quickly headed back to his chopping board, noting that Megumi was just about finished mashing the potatoes as well. "Megumi." Hearing her name, the bluenette turned towards her friend. "Once your done that, I need you to run upstairs and get me my dufflebag from Isshiki's room, alright?"

Though not quite understanding just what he would need the bag for, Megumi nodded affirmative, placing a lid over her pot before quickly exiting the room. Getting back on task, Thomas quickly began chopping up the vegetables from earlier. Upon finishing that, he brought the large pile of assorted pieces over to the large skillet and carefully placed the dice sized vegetables carefully around the venison. Afterwards, he began seasoning the dish with salt and pepper before letting it sit yet again.

Until Megumi returned, there was nothing more he could do. Looking back at the bear he was cooking for, Thomas noted how the large creature lounged on the ground, resting its head in its paws like it was bored out of its mind. Mildly annoyed by the bears nonchalant attitude towards his cooking, Thomas looked back at the door expectantly.

No less then a minute later, Megumi came rushing In through the doorway, albeit empty handed. Though confused for a second, Thomas soon understood why.

"Well, this is certainly one way to start the morning." Walking in through the doorway just behind the bluenette, Ishiki Satoshi calmly made his way towards Thomas, a black duffel bag resting atop his shoulder. Stopping upon noticing the tall form of Senzaemon, Ishiki bowed his respectfully. "Principal Senzaemon, its an honour to see you here at Polar Star. May I get you some tea while Thomas continues preparing his dish?"

Holding a hand up, Senzaemon politely shook his head. Turning towards the bear on the ground, Ishiki gently patted the resting grizzly's head. "And it's nice to see you too Wizzly. My, it's been so long since you came out of the cave, I was beginning to wonder where you'd gone. It's nice to see you've grown so much." Surprisingly, the large bear actually leaned into the polite teen's touch, seemingly enjoying Ishiki's rubbing. After that, the light brunette made his way towards Thomas, handing him the large bag as he did. "I believe you were needing this?"

Nodding, Thomas gratefully took the bag, placed it on the counter and began rifling through it. "Yeah, thanks. Guess Megumi woke you up, huh?"

"No, actually. I was in the middle of my morning stretches when she suddenly burst in, saying something about bears and Canadians. I could only assume that meant you were in the middle of Wizzly's challenge. After that, she just about fell over trying to carry your bag, so I opted to take it for her."

"Well, thanks for that man. I owe you."

"Please. As your upperclassman, its the least I can do." Leaving Thomas to his cooking, Ishiki went back to stand alongside the rest of the spectators. Finding what he'd been looking for in the bag, Thomas grinned before bringing out his secret weapon. Holding up the same bottle of brown liquid he'd used in his entrance exam, the young teen brought it over to the skillet, pouring it carefully over the venison and vegetables, doing his best not to pour to much and ruin the dishes flavour. After that, he spent a few more minutes stirring the food around the pan.

"Uh, T-Thomas." Turning to the side, the tall foreigner looked down at the girl beside him. "Is there anything else you need me to do?" Smiling Thomas patted the top of Megumi's head before turning back to his dish.

"Nah, that's it. You can just stand off to the side for now." Mildly taken aback by the teens laid back answer, Megumi pushed further.

"Are you sure? I'd really like to help you more if possible."

"Megumi, seriously. You've already helped plenty. If I'd wasted time mashing the tates or rushing upstairs to get my bag then I'd have probably burned the venison and ruined the whole dish." Offering her a reassuring smile, Thomas went back to his dish. Next to him, Megumi, though not feeling as if she had really helped that much, finally conceited, dejectedly stepping away. Noticing this, Thomas frowned before brightening up upon having an idea come to mind.

"Although." Catching her attention, Megumi quickly turned around to look at Thomas. "Unless I'm mistaken, Soma is still stuck under door, isn't he." Her mood suddenly forgotten, a look of panic quickly overturned the small girl's face.

"Ahh! Your right! I totally ignored him when I ran past the entrance to get upstairs! I'll go help him right away!" Laughing a bit as Megumi quickly exited the kitchen, Thomas looked back at his dish, noting how the venison had finally reached a proper, deep brown. Grinning, the teen lifted the pan from the element before making his way over to the empty casserole dish. Carefully sliding the skillets contents into the dish, Thomas then made his way over to the mashed potatoes Megumi had made earlier.

Looking into the pot at the golden mounds before him, Thomas smirked. "Perfect." Lifting pot up, Thomas brought it to the casserole dish as well. After spreading the potatoes out atop the venison and vegetables, the teen finished the preparation off by grating some cheddar atop the potatoes before placing the dish in the now heated oven. Letting out a sigh of relief, Thomas leaned back against the counter, now content to simply wait as the dish cooked itself.

"So, your making some sort of meat pie I'm assuming." Looking over at Ishiki, Thomas nodded his head. Bringing a finger to his chin, the older student tilted his head to the side. "If that's the case, then why did you need venison to cook it? Aren't things such as Shepard's pie often cooked using beef or pork instead?"

Smirking, Thomas nodded his head towards the bear who had just recently begun paying attention to the cooking process. "Well, because I'm cooking for big and tall over there, I figured something a bit tougher would be more satisfying for him."

Popping up behind Ishiki, Yuki made her way over to Thomas. "So, your a Canadian, huh?"

"Born and raised."

Nodding her head, Yuki squinted her eyes while looking at the tall chef questioningly. "...Huh."

Wondering what the girl was doing, Thomas looked back with a questioning look of his own. "What are you looking at."

"Oh it's nothing. It's just... You don't really look Canadian is all."

Looking mildly offended, Thomas quickly questioned the girl. "What do you mean?"

"Welll, I always pictured you guys with beards, and jeans, and beanies, and stuff."

"First of all, don't say, "and stuff", just say beanies. It makes you look stupid and like your at a loss of words. (3) Secondly, that's just a stereotype and is borderline racist."

"Coming from the guy who joked about Hiroshima and Nagasaki, that doesn't mean much."

"It was one joke!" Deciding not to pay the girl any more attention, Thomas looked back into the oven, noticing how the cheese and potatoes had begun to bubble up. Smirking, he brought out a pair of oven mitts before opening the door and pulling out the casserole. Dish, seeing this, Ishiki and Yuki stepped back, wanting to see Thomas put the finishing touches on his dish.

Taking out a large plate, Thomas began cutting out a big, square piece from the casserole dish. Upon lifting out the large serving, a wave of pleasant aroma washed over all those present. Taking in the dishes scent, Yuki and Ishiki felt a blush come to their faces as the warm and inviting feeling gently wrapped around them. Next to them, Senzaemon's hard features softened as he deeply breathed in the dishes aroma.

Still laying in the ground, Wizzly's nose took in the scent deeper then anyone else's. Feeling large amounts of drool beginning to pool in his mouth, the bear slowly began to stand up, eager to taste the young man's dish.

Gently planting the dish, Thomas smiled before turning and making his way towards the awaiting grizzly bear.

"Wizzly, I present to you..." Placing the dish on the ground right before the bear, Thomas allowed the grizzly to finally gaze upon the dish in all its glory. "Maple Venison Pie!"

Atop the plate, a large, thick slice of Shepard's pie lay waiting to be eaten. Having been layered perfectly, a mixture of meat and vegetables made up the bottom, a smaller layer of perfectly cooked mashed potatoes above that and finally, a thin level of cheese lay on top, having melted into the thick potatoes. Not a piece sticking it of place, the cut looked beautiful.

"So, you just stand there and stare at it, or are you going gobble her down?" Snapped from its admiring of the dish, the grizzly looked up at the cocky eyes of Thomas. Growling, Wizzly gave the young chef a look of anger before slowly reaching down and taking a small bite of the dish.

Immediately, the bears head was lost in euphoria.

-0-0-0-

 _The cold, winter air bore heavily down upon the small, young cub. Shivering, the young bear called out to its mother for what seemed to be the hundredth time. And for the hundredth time, its call remained unanswered. Alone, hungry, and succumbing to the cold, the cub fell forward into the snow, no longer having the strength to continue he forward._

 _Feeling the wet snow seep into it's fur, the bear called out yet again as tears began forming in its eyes. Not ready to die, the bear continued calling, desperate for someone to come along and save him._

 _"Aaaauuuurrrrrrrhhhhhh!" Releasing one final cry, the bear slumped forward, having used the last of its breath in one final cry for help. Succumbing to the cold, the bear finally shut its eyes before embrassing the harsh storm around it._

 _Then, just as the cub felt itself slip away into unconsciousness, it saw a single, glowing light and heard just one, single word._

 _"Hey."_

 _Looking up, the bear saw a two deep brown eyes looking down at him with warmth._

-0-0-0-

Coming back to reality, Wizzly suddenly looked up, seeing the same brown eyes that had just been in its vision staring back at him, this time with confidence. Slowly looking down at the plate before him, Wizzly carefully took in the sight of the dish before him.

Looking at it, a single tear escaped the bears eye before he leaned down and continued eating the smdish with vigor. Seeing this, Thomas laughed before reaching down to pat the large bears head. "Guess that means I passed your test then, eh big fella?"

Finishing the dish, the grizzly looked up before nodding wildly and pointing paw towards the casserole dish, implying that he wanted more. Smiling, Thomas obliged, reaching for the dish before placing it down upon the floor infront of the bear, watching as Wizzly devoured the dish in seconds.

Watching on with a smile, Senzaemon and Ishiki happily watched as Wizzly ate away.

"Well," said Ishiki. "It looks like Wizzlys going to let him stay, hm?"

Nodding, Senzaemon walked over to Thomas, gaining the teens attention. "Another marvellous dish, Mr. LeCavalier. A shame I wasn't able to try some."

Scratching the back of his neck, Thomas looked at the bear before him sheepishly. "Yeah, in all honesty I should've expected he'd be able to eat a whole casserole dish by himself. Sorry."

"It's no problem. You'll simply have to cook it for me another time." Smirking, Thomas nodded his head before raising an eyebrow and looking at the old Nakiri questioningly.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, why does Wizzly only test Canadian students. Did he attacked by one or something."

Bowing his head, Senzaemon looked at the still eating Wizzly sadly. "To be truthful, I don't know the whole story myself. All I know is that, a few years back, a Canadian student who was attending Totsuki smuggled him into campus when Wizzly was just a cub. A few years later when the student graduated, he had to leave Wizzly because he had grown to big to take with him. Apparently the two had a falling out of sorts during the time when the student was leaving, causing Wizzly to believe all Canadians were deceitful and would eventually betray him. Ever since, any student from Canada who has tried to enter this academy has had to make it through him first."

Hearing the story, Thomas slowly looked down to the still happily eating form of Wizzly, now seeing the bear in a new light.

Taking a look at a nearby clock, Senzaemon reached down to pat Wizzly on the head. "Well my friend, I believe it's time we both got going. We wouldn't want our students to be late for class, now would we." Looking up from his now empty dish, the large bear nodded before looking at Thomas with a look of pride. Turning around, he and Senzaemon exited the large kitchen, Ishiki walking alongside them in order to see them out.

Smiling, Thomas watched as the trio left the room. Turning towards Yuki, the tall teen lightly punched her in the shoulder. "Well, looks like I pulled it off, eh?" Rubbing her shoulder, Yuki playfully looked away from him.

"All thanks to my venison, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Stretching backwards, Thomas looked over at clock on the wall. "Ah man. Class starts at 15 minutes, eh?" Looking at the clock herself, Yuki's hands suddenly flew to her head.

"Oh crap! I haven't even showered yet!" Running out of the kitchen, Yuki disappeared around the corner, leaving Thomas alone in the large room. Sighing, the tall foreigner took a look at his surroundings. Pots and pans everywhere from where Wizzly has knocked them over, the busted open doorway, the broken wooden door on the ground, not to mention the dishes he'd been using to cook just minutes ago.

A second later, the chef did a once over of the kitchen again, noting how nobody else was in the room. In other words. There was nobody left to clean up the mess except for himself. Kissing his teeth, the teen let a sigh escape his mouth.

"God damnit."

It seemed the young foreigner would be missing yet another day of school.

-0-0-0-

 **Welp, that's chapter four done. And let me say, I am proud. Though only by a few hundred, this is my longest chapter yet and I feel like I actually did a pretty good job of it. It took me a while to figure out where to go from last chapter, and even longer to figure how to make it work, but in the end, I did it.**

 **So, for those of you wondering, Wizzly is not just some once off, accidental character you won't be seeing again. Trust me when I say I've got some plans for him. And for those jazz fans reading this, the same goes for our good friend Oscar Peterson.**

 **Other then that, I will now answer the whole ONE review that I got on the last chapter. Really guys, come on! JK, I got plenty of favs and follows instead, so I'm fine with it, especially considering it didn't think the chapter was that good anyway.**

 **Tasia'sENDLESSDreams: Thank you very much. Hope you had a good 4th of July and a good time reading this chapter. Thanks for the continued support.**

 **References**

 **(1) : Brother Bear. A.K.A. The seventh greatest movie of all time.**

 **(2) : Wizzly the bears name is just a mixture of Winnie the Pooh and a grizzly bear. Fun fact, Winnie the Pooh was a Canadian bear smuggled into England during the First World War.**

 **(3) : The Nice Guys. A.K.A. The third greatest movie of all time.**

 **Well, that was chapter four, hope you all liked. Remember, don't be afraid to fav, follow, or review, as positive feedback is the Ragna to my Nu-13.**

 **Cheers, Eh?**


	5. I Gave The Box To Senzaemon

**Guess who didn't In fact die/abandon this fic?! This guy...**

 **In all seriousness though, I'm sorry about the wait. On top of some family stuff that I won't bore you with, I had a serious case of writers block that kept me from moving forward. At one point, I had this chapter 85% done when I suddenly read it over and decided that I didn't like it, and then proceeded to scrap the entire thing.**

 **Yeah, I'm fickle like that.**

 **Anyway, once again, sorry about the wait, and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Also, I went back and tweaked the first chapter a bit in order to fix some mistakes and make things transition a bit more smoothly in order to draw in a larger audience. I posted that chapter on Archive of our own as well, so if you want, feel free to go back and read that one. Not to much has changed, but there are some notable differences.**

 **Now, on with the show!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Food Wars. All I own are my OC and his story.**

-0-0-0-

The deep, dark aroma of coffee wafted into the Thomas' nose as a familiar click dinged from the brewing machine. Smiling gently, the tall chef stood up from the chair he'd been dozing in for the last few minutes and made his way over to the now ready coffee. Grabbing a mug that he had pulled out earlier, Thomas began brewing his drink.

'7/8ths coffee, 1/8th cream, 4 tablespoons of sugar, and...' Dipping a spoon into the drink, Thomas swirled it around for a moment to properly blend the contents before pulling it out, revealing that the whiteness of the cream had mixed in with the coffee to create a perfect swirl design atop the drinks surface. "Presto."

Making his way to Polar Star's dining room, the young chef came to a stop just next to the window. Staring absentmindly at the beautiful forest the surrounded his dorm, Thomas took a sip from his mug of coffee. Not at all surprised by the perfectly blended taste, Thomas sighed blissfully.

For the next ten minutes Thomas stood there, admiring nature's beauty and enjoying his sweet morning beverage. After having survived his first week at Totsuki and all the challenges that had come with it, it was nice to be able to rela-

 ***Ring, Ring, Ring!***

Blaring to life beside him, an obnoxiously loud telephone wrung outloud, echoing out in the empty dining room and shattering the tranquil atmosphere that had existed not moments ago. Feeling in eyebrow tick, Thomas looked disdainfully at the black household device.

 ***Ring, Ring, Ring!***

Taking a look around him and seeing that nobody else was going to answer it, Thomas sighed for a collective thirty seconds, a mere moment before the phone would've gone to voicemail, before picking it up. "Yeah, Polar Star dormitory, the hell d'ya want?"

"This had better not be how you've been answering the phone since moving into that dorm, Thomas."

"Oh, uh, no. Sorry about that headmaster." Spilling a little of his coffee in shock, Thomas quickly put his mug down before composing himself. "I, uh, thought it was someone else."

"I'm sure. Now, would you mind coming down to my office. There are some matters I need to discuss with you." Covering, the mic with his hand, Thomas let out a very childish whine before quickly coming back to the conversation.

"Yeah, that's no problem. I'll be there soon."

"Alright. See you then." Hanging up the phone, Thomas stood still for a moment before taking a in a very large breath of air. Then, leaning back, the annoyed teen began to sigh. After ten seconds however, he had yet to stop. For nearly a minute this lengthy exertion of air continued before Thomas' eventually ran out of air. Coming to stop, the young chef, childishly kicked the ground beneath him.

"Dang it."

-0-0-0-

Finding himself in the headmaster's office a half hour later, Thomas lazily leaned back in his chair while Senzaemon eyed him seriously from across his desk. Stifling a yawn, Thomas gave his principal a questioning look that really only made him seem disinterested then curious.

"So, what did you call me down here fo-"

"Your expelled."

"Gggaaauuuggghhhh!" Choking on thin air, Thomas lurched forward in his seat, raising his hands above his head to try and free up his airway while attempting to process the situation. Eventually getting his coughing fit under control and wiping the tears from his eyes, the shocked teen looked at the elder Nakiri as if he were insane. "What?!"

"...Is what I should be saying right now. However, you aren't quite that far gone yet."

"Asshole!" Breathing deeply, Thomas leaned back in his chair. "You almost gave me a god damn heart attack."

"Well then, that would make us even for your first day here."

"Whatever." Pouting, Thomas regained his composure before looking at his principal with a questioning look. "So, what the hell was with the scare there? There are better ways of getting my attention you know."

Reaching under his desk, Senzaemon began rummaging around with something out of Thomas' sight.

"Well, as you know, a large amount of students find your presence here rather... insulting, to say the least. So much so that a large number of these students have gone out of there way to make written complaints. In fact..."

Pulling out a large file and handing it to Thomas, Senzaemon once again disappeared under his desk. Looking at the folder with a raised eyebrow, the curious teen began looking through it. Upon reading the very first note however, his other eyebrow shot up to meet its brother.

"Jeez, I didn't think rich kids even knew how to use words like that." Flipping through the file, Thomas memorized some of the insults being directed towards him, making sure to remember them and use them for later. "And your saying that these are just the thoughts of people that actually wrote the letters, right?"

"No, actually. Those are just the complaints from the first two days when you were missing from class and the students just assumed you'd been successfully expelled. THESE, are the complaints sent in from the next three days of the week, after the students realized you hadn't been expelled but were merely absent."

"What are- Holy shit!" Heaving a full cardboard box onto his desk, Senzaemon casually leaned back as Thomas looked at the letter filled box, stunned.

"Including complaints made by students, complaints made by teachers, students parents, and various others associated with the school, that box contains roughly 914 handwritten letters, all of which either ask for your suspension, expulsion, or deportation. Quite a few of these are directed towards your compatriot, Yukihira Sōma, as well."

"...I'd say you were making an Office reference with this box right now if it wasn't so concerning."

"Well, I'm glad you understand the urgency of the situation." Pushing the box to the side, Senzaemon looked at Thomas with total seriousness. "Thomas, as of right now, more then a third of the population of Totsuki has it out for you. Do you remember the other day when I told you about the nature of Totsuki?"

Scratching the back of his head, Thomas shrugged. "More or less. It was pretty confusing in all honesty. Something about doing my best not to stand out to much while also showing that I'm not just someone you can walk all over, right? Kind of a contrasting statement you had there, sir."

"Be that as it may," sighed Senzaemon. "With how aware and unforgiving of you the student body seems to be, we can officially role "Avoiding standing out", out. With that gone, it seems your only option left is to prove that you are a force to be reckoned with."

"Well, being able to walk into class without having the death glare sent my way from now on would be nice... so what d'ya have in mind?" Opening a drawer, Senzaemon pulled up a piece of paper before sliding it across the table. Taking a minute to read it over, Thomas eventually looked up a the headmaster with a confused look. "...What's a research society?"

-0-0-0-

The empty hallways of Totsuki echoed out with the sounds of Thomas' foot steps as he made his way through the large school. If Thomas was being honest, the sounds were actually a little unnerving. The lack of bodies did make sense however. What, with it being a Saturday and the fact that only a small minority of students actually lived on campus.

Doing his best to pay it no mind, Thomas thought back to his conversation with Senzaemon minutes ago.

 _"So, your saying that if I save this club from getting disbanded, I'll score some credit with its members, as well as show anyone that hears about it that I'm not just some push over."_

 _"Exactly."_

 _"Alright then. I was planning on just lazing around for the day, but I guess I might as well try and take care of this now and get it out of the way." Standing up from his seat, Thomas rolled up the RS flyer and made for the door. "Thanks for the help sir. It's nice knowing I've got someone like you looking out for me."_

 _"...Thomas, if I may have one last word with you before you head out." Turning his head over his shoulder, the teen in question looked at the headmaster curiously. Currently looking down at his desk with his hands clasped together, the headmaster of Totsuki was unreadable. "It would appear that a few of the teachers and many of the students here not only distrust you, but now myself as well."_

 _Looking surprised, Thomas questioned the aged principal. "Why's that?"_

 _"It would seem that rumour has spread about how I alone decided on your acceptance into Totsuki, in a room where no one else was around to see it, only minutes after my granddaughter had reportedly failed you to your having arrived at the examination late."_

 _Feeling a large sweat drop role down the side of his face, Thomas sheepishly nodded his head. "Yeah, that sounds pretty sketchy when you think about it."_

 _"And with how I didn't expel To despite what you did on the first day and how much your fellow students are reacting... Well... it would appear that the teacher think I'm, "Playing favourites."_

 _Standing in shock for a moment, Thomas struggled to come up with an answer. "...And... Are you?"_

 _"...Thomas, I've helped you out these last few days more so then I have any student throughout there three years at Totsuki. That is because I've taken an interest in you that I hope was not falsely placed. However..." Looking up from his desk, Senzaemon looked at Thomas with an expression filled with seriousness._

 _"If that interest was misplaced, and you prove to be just another sheep amongst the cattle instead of the proud ram I thought you to be, then I will have not hesitate for a second to expel you from this academy._

 _Thomas knew he wouldn't soon forget the words the headmaster spoke to him that day._

 _And he doubted he would ever forget the look in his eyes._

-0-0-0-

'Why do all the conversations I have with him end on such a dramatic note?'

Shaking his head, Thomas rid himself of Senzaemon's haunting words while continuing his way down the hallway. He'd been given a chance by the headmaster to prove himself to the school, and he wouldn't let anything distract him from it. Pulling out the crumpled up RS flyer, Thomas began muttering the names of the rooms he passed in the hallway while searching for one in particular.

'Alright, the room should be right around... here!' Coming to a stop, Thomas read the small sign positioned next to the door. 'Rice Bowl Research Society.'

Knocking on the door, Thomas waited a few seconds for an answer before knocking again. Receiving yet another blank reply, Thomas dawned a minor scowl before balling his fist and knocking on the door a bit more forcefully.

"Hello! My names Thomas LeCavalier! I'm here to join your club! I also know that someone's in there!" Once again going unanswered despite his increased methods, Thomas felt his eyebrow tick.

 ***Rattle!***

Slamming his foot against the lower half of the door, Thomas did his best to make whoever was behind the door at least acknowledge him.

"Open up already! Come on! Headmaster Nakiri sent me here to save your club, so the least you can do is-"

 ***Slam!"**

"The headmaster sent you!?"

"Christ!"

-0-0-0-

"Aauuuggghhhh, my head..."

"Yeah, sorry about that bud. My body moved on its own." Holding an ice pack to the side of a leather wearing student's head, Thomas apologized to his upperclassmen. "To be fair though, you shouldn't go slamming doors and yelling in people's faces like that. That's just asking to get punched in the face."

Nodding apologetically, the older teen apologized for his unexpected surprise.

"I'm sorry about that, but anyway," said the teen, standing up from his seat in the centre of the clubroom in order to look Thomas in the eyes. "We're you being honest when you said the headmaster sent you in order to help save this society?"

Offering a shrug, Thomas said, "I wouldn't be out of bed before twelve on a Saturday otherwise."

For a moment, the older teen stared seriously into Thomas' eyes. Then, the thin traces of what appeared to be tears began to sprout in the corner of his eyes. Seeing this, Thomas grimaced before pressing the ice pack back against the pompadour haired teens head.

"Shit, I think I might've thrown your tear ducts outta wa-aahhhhack!"

"I knew it!" Wrapping his arms around Thomas, the joy filled teen began crying hysterical tears of happiness. "Oh, I just knew that someone up top cared about us down here at the bottom!"

"Alright, alright, that's enough of that!" Quickly splitting himself apart from the overly joyous club member, Thomas held out his hand. "Let's just celebrate with a hardy handshake instead alright. I at least like to know someone's name before they attempt to fondle me."

Embarrassingly coughing into his hand, the older teen held out his hand in return. "Yes, of course. I'm sorry about that. I should've known a true man such as yourself would've preferred a greeting such as that."

Holding his hand out, the older teen officially introduced himself. "Kanichi Konishi, 2nd year student and Don of the Rice Bowl Research Society."

"Your the what of the Rice Bowl RS."

"Oh, uh, "Head", of the Rice Bowl RS."

"Also, I just saw you cough into your hand, and while I realize you did that out of embarrassment, I doesn't make any less off putting and thus I won't be shaking your hand now."

"O-oh..." After awkwardly scratching the back of his head, Kanichi quickly rebounded. "W-well that aside, lets catch you up to speed. I assume that the headmaster only gave you a brief description of what was going on here, right?"

"Yeah, more or less."

"Well, then let me give you a brief run down." Sitting back down, Kanichi began explaining the situation, from how it had all started with Erina cutting the society's budget to all the club members leaving upon realizing they'd be facing The God Tongue's wrath. Kissing his teeth, Thomas crossed his arms.

"Man, she really is a bitch. And here I was, giving her the benefit of the doubt that she was just angry at me for being late." Grimacing at Thomas' casual insulting of one of Totsuki's most revered figures, Kanichi sighed. "And your saying that we'll have to beat her in some sort of cooking battle, right?"

"Yes. A Food War. An all out cooking competition where two chefs put everything on the line in order to make the best dish possible."

"...So Chopped, but with higher stakes and less random ingredients?"

"I... Guess?.."

"Cool."

"However, there's one last thing I should tell you." Looking at Kanichi oddly, Thomas wondered just what was left to talk about. "You see, Lady Erina would never actually real with a club like this by herself. Instead, she sent in someone who, as of now, might just be even harder to handle."

Looking at his upperclassmen inquisitively, Thomas prodded further. "Who?"

"...I-"

Interrupted by the sound of the RS' door once again being slammed open, Thomas turned away from Kanichi and watched as a strange group of men in construction suits. Watching as they began taking measurements and labeling things around the clubroom, Thomas raised an eyebrow as the man who was seemingly in charge began speaking to someone. Do to his positioning however, Thomas couldn't quite make them out.

"Yeah, it's like we thought, miss. It'll be easier to just tear the place down rather then attempt to refurbish everything."

"Really? Alright, that's fine. Start as soon as you'd like."

"Roger that."

"H-hey! What do you think your doing!?" Yelling towards the unseen person the construction man was speaking to, Kanichi angrily called them out. "Ikumi!"

Turning towards whoever the head of Rice Bowl RS had just spoken too, Thomas raised a very questioning eyebrow as the figure walked past him while making their way towards Kanichi. Slamming her hand against the wall right next to the society members head and sending him stumbling, Mito Ikumi leaned forward right into his personal space, forcing the taller student to lean backwards and slide down the wall meekly.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm having an inspection done for when I remodel this place. Unless of course..." Leaning in even closer, Ikumi smirked as Kanichi began shivering under her gaze. "You decide to accept my challenge and defeat me."

Shaking his head back and forth, Kanichi struggled to maintain eye contact with the 1st year, hard task considering her penetrating gaze and the very distracting view just below his eyes.

Feeling sorry and embarrassed for his upper class men, Thomas interjected, stepping next to the two and pulling Kanichi out of the tight spot by the shoulder.

Looking at Thomas with a look of annoyance for taking away her toy, Ikumi eyed the tall 1st up and down for a moment before a look of shock suddenly dawned on her face. "Hey...your that idiot from the opening ceremony, aren't you?"

Looking hurt for a second, a light bulb suddenly flashed above his head, as if he had just understood what she said. "Oh, no, that was Soma. I'm that other transfer student who made the awsome joke, Thomas LeCavalier."

"If that's your idea of a joke, then your one sick bastard. That massacre is still a sore spot for lots of people not just in this school, but in the entire country."

"...So to show how seriously you take that event, you walk around with the flag of the country responsible for the bombing proudly displayed on your chest?"

"W-well." Suddenly caught off guard by his accusation, Ikumi looked down at her bra. Realizing the hypocrisy, the normally immodest girl buttoned up her shirt before looking back at the snickering Thomas with embarrassment. "I-I wear this as a fashion statement! Yeah! And not only that, but a lot of my cooking techniques are American based as well, so I mostly wear it as a sign of respect!"

"...So you respect the country that single handily slaughtered tens of thousands of innocent civilians?"

"W-what!? No, of course not!"

"But you just said that you did!"

"W-well, I... look, stop twisting my words damnit!" Her face now a deep red in both anger and embarrassment, Ikumi looked towards Thomas accusingly. "A-and as if you've got any ground to stand on! You were the one who made that awful joke in the first place!"

"I made a good natured joke that everyone else decided to take offense to. You, on the other hand, blatantly parade around the school with the American flag on full display, as if to mock and remind everyone of the catastrophe."

"I-you-Augggghhhh!" Yelling, Ikumi completely lost her cool.

Laughing, Thomas looked back at Kanichi, pointing at the blushingly mad Ikumi as he did. "Alright, but in all seriousness, Kanichi, who is this chick?"

Bewildered, Kanichi took a moment to answer. Though he'd only interacted with Ikumi once before, it was still so hard to believe that such a confidant and intimidating person could be broken so easily. Eventually shaking his head and clearing his thoughts, the tall second year met Thomas' gaze.

"That's Mito Ikumi, a 1st year like you, though to compare her to just any other student would be a mistake."

"Ominous. Continue."

"A child prodigy, Ikumi has consistently scored near the top in all of her classes since entering Totsuki three years ago. Not only that, but she is considered to be by far one of the greatest meat cooks that this academies ever seen, having never presented a meet dish that wasn't graded as an A in class. All of this culminating together has earned her the title... Meat Master!"

"...You know, I'd make a joke right know about that, but I feel like I'd just be beating a dead horse." Scratching the back of his head, Kanichi opted to agree.

"Yeah, you'd be kind of right about that one. Even though she scares most people around campus, most of the students actually call he Nikumi behind her b- Ahhhhhhhhhhh!"

"Shit!"

Looking towards whatever it was that had just flown by his head at an impressive speed, Thomas felt a wave of shock go through him.

Sticking out of the wall just next to Kanichi's startled face, a butchers knife gleamed menacingly. And, oddly, a few dark hairs seemed to be pinned between the flat surface of the wall and the sharpened blade.

"Wh-wha-" And then, a mere second after opening his mouth, the upper half of Kanichi's pompadour fell to the ground, having been cut in half by the knife"What?!"

Stepping back from the not-necessarily-gruesome-yet-still-disturbing-scene, Thomas raised an eyebrow in shock.

"Don't ever," said Ikumi from behind Thomas. Turning around, the tall chef felt a light shiver go down his spine. Positioned with her arm outstretched in the knife's direction, the tanned young girl glared harshly at Kanichi, "Call me Nikumi again. And you!"

"Huh?" Drawing another knife from a holster that she had strapped to her thigh, something that raised several questions in Thomas' mind about the health and safety codes within Totsuki, Ikumi pointed it directly at the second object of her rage.

"I was sure that when I first issued the challenge against this society that all of its member had abandoned this place, aside from the waste of space over there." Glancing over at Kanichi, Thomas watched as the distraught teen gingerly picked the remains of his hair. "And yet, a jackass like you just shows up here on my inspection day, getting in my way despite not even being affiliated with the club. So, why is that."

'Oh, yeah," thought Thomas. 'I guess I have kinda just been dicking around since I got here rather then trying to resolve the situation.'

Doing his best not to let the knife wielding girl a few metres away intimidate him, Thomas put on a persona of bravery and looked down at Ikumi.

"Simple. As of right now, I'm a representative of this research society. That means, that whatever challenge you issued against Kanichi and his club will be against me instead." Speaking in a simple and matter of factory tone, Thomas met Ikumi's fiery glare with a look of cold indifference. For a moment, the two looked each other in the eyes, neither backing down.

"Pffft." And then, breaking her serious deposition, what sounded like the beginnings of a giggle escaped from Ikumi's lips. "Pffffffahahahaha!"

Dropping the knife from her now weak grip, Ikumi began laughing aloud, gaining a raised eyebrow from both Thomas and Kanichi. Elevating her laughter, the historical girl just about began wheezing when she finally calmed down.

"Hehe... Oh that's rich!" Wiping away a tear, Ikumi looked at Thomas with a look filled with dismissiveness and arrogance rather then the anger that had been there moments ago. "To think I'd be able to take down two of Lady Erina's targets with just one blow."

Calming down, Ikumi looked at Thomas with stone cold seriousness. "If what your saying about protecting this pathetic club is true, then that means you'll be cooking in the society head's place, correct."

"Is that not obvious?" Scoffing, Ikumi met Thomas' gaze with a bemused look.

"Well then, the same rules apply as was previously arranged. The challenge will commence in three days, and in order to even the odds, the dishes theme will be a rice bowl. And, as you are now filling in for the place of the Rice Bowl RS, then that means you must wager something as well in order to make the price of losing equal for both sides."

Coyly putting a finger to her lips, Ikumi faked thinking for a second before snapping her fingers. "I know! How about, when you lose... You get expelled from Totsuki."

"Hn!" Eyes going wide

"Hah! I knew you wouldn't do it!" Turning around, Ikumi made her way to the door. "Your reaction alone says your to much of a coward to risk something like that. And here I thought there was finally someone around here who grew a pair."

"...Fine!"

"Hm?"

"Fine, I accept. If I can't beat an arrogant keener like you!-

"An arrogant what?"

"-Then I've got no business staying here. As for the demands in my side..." Pausing for a second, Thomas felt an evil grin slowly make its way onto his face. "You'll have to join the club that you so desperately want to see destroyed, the Rice Bowl RS! And! Because you'll be getting two things out of your side of the deal, it's only fair that we get two things as well."

Stepping forward, Thomas came to a stop right in front of Ikumi. Meeting her gaze, Thomas noted the small amount of fear hidden behind her eyes as she looked at his, obviously wondering just what he had in store for her. Grinning darkly, Thomas thrust a finger towards the blonde girl's chest, almost touching it in the process.

"Upon your inevitable defeat, you will toss out that bra and replace it with one of my own design!"

"WHAT!?/WHAT!?" Cried both Ikumi and Kanichi at the same time.

"N-no way!" Covering her chest, Ikumi took a few steps back from the devilish teen in front of her. Off to the side, a deep blush made its way onto Kanichi's face. "You can't be serious! There's no way I'd do something like that!"

"Oh, I see," said Thomas, an understanding look coming onto his face. "Your working under the assumption that your going to lose, and thus don't want to take the risk. Well, I find it flattering that you have so much confidence in me, but you shouldn't doubt your own abilities so much, Nikumi. It's bad for your mental health." Remembering What Kanichi has said earlier, Thomas used the girl's nickname in order to rial her up even more. Seeing exactly what he had just done, a rage like no other quickly enveloped, "Nikumi."

Rushing forward, the blonde girl reached up towards Thomas collar before violently yanking his head down to her level.

"Fine then, asshole! You wanna play like that, then get ready! Three days, rice bowl only, and no holding back! I want to know that I beat you when you were giving it your best, however little that may be!"

"Alright, it's a date." Blushing even further, Ikumi pushed Thomas back before turning around and angrily stomping towards the door. Seeing that they're contractor was leaving, the construction workers that Thomas had completely forgotten about up until that point quickly followed suit, leaving the until just recently loud room in absolute silence.

Letting out yet another overly exaggerated sigh, Thomas straightened up before turning towards Kanichi and smiling.

"Well, seems we better get started on making a dish then, eh?" Looking at Thomas with astonishment, tears slowly began growing in the corner of Kanichi's eyes. Noting this, Thomas sighed in annoyance. "Oh for- are your tear ducts still messed up?"

"Don!!!!!!"

"Ew, stop! Your gonna get snot all over my blazer!"

-0-0-0-

A few minutes later, Thomas and Kanichi could be seen shifting around the Rice Bowl RS's room, looking for old books and recipes left behind by previous club members in order to come up with some inspiration.

"So, your saying that you've never even cooked a rice bowl?"

Looking across the room at Kanichi, Thomas frowned. "Not true. I'll have you know sticky white rice was a staple in my family's household. I may not act it, but I am actually one half Jamaican as well, so I should be able to whip something together that can pass as a rice bowl."

Sighing, Kanichi continued moving boxes off of shelves and checking there contents for what he was looking for. "It's not just a making a great dish that I'm worried about. It's making a dish good enough to beat Ikumi that has me in such an upset."

"Oh, come on." Standing up, Thomas took a seat at a table while watching, Kanichi work. Heaving women up so early this morning and having been on the move since, he was rather tired out. "I get that she's supposedly this awsome chef who can handle meat better then anyone, phrasing, but that doesn't mean that she's unstoppable."

"But it's not just her cooking that's impressive. It's what's behind it that has me scared."

"What do you mean?"

"You see, Mito Ikumi didn't just get to where she is because of her cooking. Since her first day at Totsuki, she's had the backing of one of the meat industries biggest tycoons."

"Why's that?" Smirking, Thomas threw out an idea. "She a mascot for them or something?"

"No. She's the daughter of the companies head and air to its empire."

"Oh." Nodding, Kanichi turned back to his task, wanting to find what he was looking for wuickly so they could get to work on designing a dish good enough to claim victory.

"Yeah, so there's no doubt that she will use ingredients of the highest quality in her dish, and considering how much you antagonized her, I have no doubt she'll use her secret weapon against you. A5."

"A5," Thomas questioned. "What's that?"

Stopping in his task Kanichi, looked at the ground hauntingly. "Meat can be graded on a select amount of things. These grades are rated from C to A, and 1 to 5, going up from worst quality to best. And A5 is the kind that stands above them all."

Looking towards Thomas, Kanichi eyed the first year with the upmost seriousness. "It's said to be so perfectly made... that you can drink it."

"...Alright, now I'm no biologist, but I'm pretty sure any meat that you can DRINK, is probably not meant for human consumption." Shaking his head, Kanichi went back to his task. A moment later, a grin broke out across the previously pompadour wearing teen's face.

"Either way, if we're going to face off against someone with that level of skill and resources," said Kanichi. Upn turning around, Thomas noted how the older teen had pulled out what appeared to be a heavy cardboard box. "Then we're going to have to pull out all the stops!"

Placing the box down on the table, Kanichi began unsealing the tape ontop. Stepping over to it, Thomas peered at the box questioningly.

"These recipe books are from all the previous members of this society, so I think there'll be a lot we can learn from them. Though they are pretty old, so we may want to alter the recipes a little." Opening the box, Kanichi moved so that Thomas could peer inside. And what he saw haunted.

Though there were dozens of books inside the cheap container, it was what lay atop them that really shocked Thomas.

Dust.

A very, very, thick layer of dust he might add.

"Uh..." Taking abstep back, Thomas slowly made his way to the door. "You know, I'll just let you clean these things out a bit before I start-"

 ***Fwoooh!***

"Oh shoot, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to blow it in your face like that!"

"...Phrasingggggggguuuuuaaaaaa."

"Hey, are you ok? You look a little woooozzzzzz-" Thomas didn't even here then end of Kanichi's sentence before he passed out, the darkness of unconscious quickly overtaking him.

-0-0-0-

'Uugggghhhh.' Stirring awake, Thomas looked at the white ceiling above him. 'Where am I.'

"Oh, hey! Your awake!"

Feeling rather delirious for some reason, Thomas took a moment to roll his head to the side and look across the room from the bed he was currently laying in. Landing his gaze on a rift of red hair, the confused teen looked further down and spotted the smiling face of Soma.

"Man, and here I thought you'd never wake up." Only able to just make out the words spoken to him, Thomas tried to respond, but all that came or was a gurgled mess. Seeing this, Soma quickly held up his hands, telling the struggling teen to stop his actions. "Wow, slow down there man. I don't think you should be talking with your neck like that."

'Neck...' Attempting to raise his hand to his neck, Thomas was met with a leathery, and oddly smooth surface where his neck should have been. 'What?'

Looking around, Thomas noted how both he and Soma were lying down in single, white clothed beds. Oddly, a tall rolling table was positioned just above his waist, seemingly so that he could use it for when he sat up. Doing just that, the still dazed teen noted how heavy is head seemed to be while he rose up.

Leaning forward on the table, Thomas noted how a small mirror, pen, small stack of paper, and a few other things were placed on it. Deciding to check just what was wrong with him, Thomas picked up the mirror and held it up to eye level.

What he saw explained everything.

Swollen to nearly twice it's normal size, Thomas' neck was an ugly brown colour with greasy leathery skin that seemed to pulsate when one looked closely enough. Putting the mirror down, Thomas did his best not to scream aloud and risk. Worsening his already botched neck.

"Yeah, I thought it looked pretty gross when you came in here too." Looking over at Soma, Thomas noted the boy's easy going attitude. "The doctors were saying something about an allergic reaction to uh... dust, was it? Man, that's one crazy reaction to something that common though, huh?"

Picking up the mirror, Thomas once again checked his reflection.

"No need to worry though. The doctor says the swelling should be down in about a week. That's around the time I get out too. Gold figure, huh."

A look of realization donning in his face, Thomas calmly reached for the pen and paper before carefully writing two words before holding the paper up so Soma could read it.

 _I'm screwed._

-0-0-0-

 **Man, that dust allergy is something, isn't it?**

 **Well, hope you guys like that plot twist. Out of the ring and down for the count, it seems Thomas will no and longer be able to compete in his Food War against Nikumi. With his expulsion and the future of Rice Bowl RS on the line, how will our hero find a way to prevail? Find out on the next exciting chapter of Totsuki, Eh?!**

 **Yeah, but in all seriousness, another chapter in the banks. Posting his now, it feels like a massive weight has been lifted off my chest. Over these last three months of my unplanned hiatus, every time I had more then five minutes to spare my brain was just telling me to work on this. Sadly, the other half of my brain couldn't muster a solid idea of how to continue until just two weeks ago.**

 **I'm actually sick right now, and that's what caused gave me the idea for the plot twist at the end. On the other hand, the cold might have also affected my writing quality, so I hope I didn't screw up to much.**

 **And now, the reviews:**

 **animelover78861: Thanks, for the support. I do my best to mix the hilarity in with the seriousness so that one doesn't over power the other. As for RS, we'll just have to wait and see.**

 **Tasia'sENDLESSDreams: Hey, What happens in food wars, stays in food wars. As for the Megumi pairing, that was mostly just me gushing over the adorableness that is that sweet little cinnamon roll. And just because Thomas goes calling one girl cute doesn't mean they'll be making out anytime soon. He's just the type to be honest with someone if he finds them attractive, kind of like the opposite of a Tsundere. Thanks for the continued support, and I hoped you liked the Ikumi interaction.**

 **bladez4ever: Don't you worry, Wizzly has been an idea of mine for sometime now and I can't wait for the moment I get to use him even more.**

 **And thank ou to everyone else who Faved and Followed. Your verbal support is my life support!**

 **Well then, I'll see you guys four months from now for chapter 6!**

 **Jk, Eh!**


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